


Start Of The Breakdown

by deepest_dooting



Series: Breaking a Hollywood Beauty [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Acting, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Mob, Baptism, Beating, Drama & Romance, Funerals, Gang Violence, Gun Violence, Heavily influenced by the godfather, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mobsters, Multi, Revenge killing, Roman Catholicism, minor religious references at times, roxas and xion are babies because i said so, the 1950s, theres some death, xehanorts just the chill uncle that shows up for stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-07 04:02:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11615466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepest_dooting/pseuds/deepest_dooting
Summary: He said they would always come after the ones she loved. But he never said it was true.





	1. Anger, Hatred, Fear, and Humiliation

This was not a life that Aqua would have preferred, but at least she could never be bored with it. Her father never wished this for her, always hoping that she would be able to become a doctor or lawyer or anything better than this. Eraqus carved a meticulous and dangerous life, stacking his way to live a prosperous and fortuitous life for himself and his family. 

Eraqus Meister, a German immigrant, made a name for himself, playing all of the right cards and creating a serious business to live quite comfortably. He first dipped his toes into crime as a young 20-something-year-old in the growing city of Los Angeles. Or at least, that is what he always told Aqua. Her father never actively seeked out murder or a _Subtle Negotiation_ as he called it, with a client, but for those who were incredibly stubborn or completely stupid ended up with one or the other. From the men who patrolled and guarded her, they would mention that death was a better option. 

Aqua had gone into acting early in her life, a child protegee of sorts, and then grew into a gorgeous movie star near the end of World War II. People adored her in films, from her devious blue hair (quite unnoticable in black and white), to her thrilling acting skills that earned her multiple Oscar nods yet no wins. She knew that her father would have put in words for her at the Academy, either by force or not, but she demanded that he would remain out of her work. 

But now, at the age of 21, with a gun in her coat pocket, and revenge searing in her heart, Aqua sat at a table across from the two men who both played a part in the non-fatal shooting of her father. She sat stiffly at the tableside, her heart beating wildly out of her chest, her eyes unable to focus on one just thing, and her mind telling her over and over again to pull the trigger. 

There was only one other table in the restaurant occupied by a woman. She sat reading the newspaper, eating her dinner. The waiter on duty retreated to the kitchens. They were practically alone. 

“As I was saying before, Carl, the wine at the bar two blocks over is nothing like you’ve had before!” The officer said, a hearty laugh barfed from his throat. He is the police captain who refused to protect her father at the hospital and punched her in the jaw. Aqua felt like screaming. 

“Oh shut up, you’ve told me before, Jones.” said the mobster, Carl Winston. He sent a man after Aqua’s father. These men were nobodies. They did not matter. 

“What do you think about the wine there, sweetie?” Carl said, resting a hand over Aqua’s right that laid on the table. 

Aqua’s eyes went wide, and she shot up in her seat. Her right hand grabbed for the steak knife on the tabletop, and she slammed it through Winston’s hand. He screamed. With her left hand, from her right breast pocket, she tore out the handgun. It flew out so fast, that she gave no second thought to shooting these men. Within a millisecond, she pulled the trigger.

One, and two. In Jones’ eye, the other in his throat, just slicing his jugular. Blood from Jones sprayed on Winston. Three, four, five, _six_ to Winston. Winston shook around like a filthy ragdoll as each shot was fired into his body. One to his jaw, one to his chest, another to the side of his head, and the last to his cheek. Aqua’s eyes were wide, shocked at the crime she had just commit. 

_Drop the gun at the scene, grab your things, and leave. Do not run, but walk quickly. There will be a car two buildings down._ Her step-brother, Lea’s, voice echoed in her head, and she acted accordingly. Shaking hands reached down to pick up her gloves and purse, and then she fled from the scene. Rain drizzled outside, a quiet crack of thunder rolling overhead. She stiffly wiped a drop of blood from her coat, walking quickly from the restaurant. Aqua did not turn back, she just kept going. 

She reached the ‘Benz a block and a half later, opening the backseat door and falling inside. The door was shut, and the driver peeled out and into the road. 

That late autumn night, in the expensive, money loaded land of Beverly Hills, Aqua Meister unintendedly inherited her father’s business. 

\---

After the murders, she was forced to flee the country and take refuge in Belgium. It was serious business killing the son of a powerful family and a police chief. She could not risk going to jail or damaging the family name. Germany was out of the question, as it was still torn up from the war, while Belgium still had ties to Eraqus’ family. Aqua was alone, travelling in the coastal plains with two bodyguards from home. The Belgian coast was much further from the more German populated east, but it was just as beautiful. 

The coastal home she resided in was great, similar to the family villa in Glendale. It must’ve been built during the early 19th century, but it had been accommodated with modern necessities. Aqua bunkered down for the first two weeks in Belgium, making sure that she would not encounter any possible enemies that discovered her whereabouts. She spent most time in the bedroom, trapped in a war with herself of what she had done. 

Maids and butlers delivered food to her room, leaving a tray on the cherry wooden desk, and then left her alone. Men would patrol the hallways, the balconies, even the roof, all to keep Ms. Meister safe. Every so often, one of her bodyguards from home, Lux or Dilan, would gently knock on the door to her room, ask if she was alright, and then leave. This happened about every three to four hours everyday, which Aqua did not mind at all. It was just their job. 

Aqua rolled around in the soft, pillowy, cloud-like blankets and sheets of the bed. She realized that this was going to pull her further into her father’s line of work, which she never, ever wanted. Just like her father’s intentions, she had plans to remain in acting for quite some time. Anything that was more than dirty revenge, murder, or drug cartels… but now she feared that this one action could be her demise. She dreamed of living happily on the family residence, with a husband, maybe a child or two. 

Her older siblings told her over and over again not to be involved, especially Lea and Aeleus. They were the two adopted children of Eraqus’, from his sister who died in the early 20’s from a serious case of pneumonia. Lea and Aeleus had been at their uncle’s side of the operations since their leave from college some ten years ago. They have been successful in every area of the business, and Eraqus made a great sum since their addition. Lea has been supportive to his younger siblings’ upbringing, making sure they all gained an education and were ready to inherit the family line when they came of age. As Aqua is the only daughter of Eraqus’, it was never for her to inherit the operations. If Lea or Aeleus were never there to do it, then it would be up to Aqua’s younger brother Riku. 

Even then, Riku was never one for the business. He left for college on the east coast, and visited only on holidays or some breaks. Aqua is really the only one who keeps in contact with him frequently, and unfortunately as her refuge in Belgium looks like it might become longer than she would hope, that meant a longer time for her to contact him. She flipped onto her stomach again, imagining what Riku might be doing in college, or even what he might think of her now that she’s murdered two major forces in L.A. 

Rain pounded against the glass doors of the balcony, and in the far distance, a rumble of thunder crashed in the sky. In bed, Aqua laid on her back, staring into the wooden supports on the ceiling. She closed her eyes, sighing. At this point, she had been doing nothing for three weeks in Belgium, doing nothing but laying in bed and staring off at random places in her bedroom. The woman pulled back the blankets, threw her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. 

Aqua slowly stumbled over to her vanity table, sitting down on the velvet stool. She stared deep into the reflection before her, trying to find the person who she used to be. A gross bruise formed on her jaw, wrapping up onto her left cheek. The shadows fell oddly on her face, and she pulled her hair aside. She took the hairbrush and started to groom herself. Her eyes did not shift from her reflection, taking note of every small detail of her face. Circles had started to take form under her eyes, and after staring at herself for a good amount of time, she saw how drastically she had aged. It was like she was a completely different person, and she wondered if her father saw himself the same exact way. 

In an attempt to pull herself out of this depression, Aqua decided to go out and explore the city of Ostend. She dressed, patting powder to her cheeks and lightly dusted her face in blush and eyeshadow. While pulling on a hat, she opened her bedroom door, peeking out into the hallway before stepping out. 

It was eerily quiet, and Aqua took sight of two heavy-hands sitting at a card table. They were at the end of the hallway, playing chess, but looked up to see Aqua out of her room. 

One leant over to the other. “Hey look! It’s the boss’ daughter!” he whispered, taking a pawn from his opponent’s army. 

“Whoa… it is her.” The other said in reply. 

Aqua waved, smiling at them. The burly men waved back, pulling on their best smiles. She stepped over to their table, folding her hands in front of her skirt. “Do either of you fine gentlemen know where I can find Lux or Dilan?” she asked. 

“I wish to speak with them.” Aqua added.

The one man scratched the back of his head with a white king. “I believe they might be in the kitchen. They’ve been quite worried about you, miss.” 

“Yeah, Lux probably has Dilan caught up in another one of his card games, which they usually play in the kitchen or the parlor. You might wanna check around in case.” The other burly man said. 

Aqua nodded. “Of course. Thank you gentlemen.” she said, smiling. She turned on her heel, proceeding down the hallway. Paintings, prints, antiques, and plants hung on the walls. Sculptures and china vases were meticulously set in the centers of end tables, and a few chairs or knick-knack cabinets were scattered around. As she reached the main staircase, she noticed the pattern of the tiled floors. 

Her hand met the wooden railing, and she began to slowly step down to the first floor. When she was on the first floor, voices rang out from the western wing, and Aqua decided to head that way. The heels of her shoes clicked against the tile floors, and from little being in that front room, it echoed like crazy. The sounds even began to bother her at first, like she was afraid of her own shadow, but she continued to reassure herself that everything was alright. No one knew where she was. 

The azure girl passed by two guardsmen who stood out on the patio, sheltered by the rain, and then another two as she entered the dining room. Two service hands sat with the guardsmen, eating what Aqua suspected to be their lunch. She did not say anything as she passed by, only waving and sharing a smile with them. The service hands and guardsmen all smiled and nodded in response, ceasing their conversation as she passed. Their awkwardness bothered Aqua. 

Eventually, after what felt like a millennia, Aqua finally found the source of the rancorous laughter and shouting. Her guards from home were in the kitchen, and they looked over in surprise as Aqua entered the room. The blonde poked his head up, sneering. 

“So, sleeping beauty’s finally awake is she?” he said, his british accent slurred all of his words together. Or he was drunk. Which would not be possibly wrong since they had nothing to do. 

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Have you been drinking?” she asked, slowly walking over to the kitchen table. She sat down, crossing her legs. 

Lux stood up, shaking his head. “Absolutely not! I’m not going to lose my bloody job because of something as stupid as that!” 

Dilan pushed away from the table, slowly standing from his seat. “Are you hungry, Aqua?” he asked, tossing his cards to the table. “I can cook something for you,”

Aqua shook her head, glancing at the windows over the kitchen sink. “No, but I wanted to go out in the city. We can get something to eat when we are out then, I suppose.” she said, turning back to face Dilan and Lux before her. 

“I have to admit, Aqua,” Lux started, picking up all of the cards from the tabletop. “I wasn’t sure how you were going to handle everything, but of course, that is just my concern for you.” He started to shuffle the deck of cards in his hand, turning them and shuffling them like he was a Vegas dealer at a table for poker. Aqua was not impressed. 

Dilan started to tidy up at the kitchen island, returning foodstuffs to their rightful place after being left out. Aqua thought about Lux’s statement, pulling a pair of gloves from her coat pocket. She shifted in her seat. “You and I both, I suppose.” she said, leaning back in her chair. “I really, truly, did not want to murder those people, but… I…” Aqua trailed off. 

“I had contained so much anger… so much hatred, humiliation, fear; I just wanted to avenge papa. My brothers mocked me for even thinking about working for the family, and I guess I wanted to prove them wrong.” she sighed. 

The kitchen went dead silent. Rain continued to pound against the window. Dilan averted his attention from Aqua, while Lux stared at her for a good while. Aqua wrapped her arms around her waist, closing her eyes. She thought about being at home with her father, her brothers, her mother. Warm from the California sun overhead, and the grainy, but pleasing, feeling of sand at her toes. She thought of the beaches, the family home, the studios where she filmed movies, and the things that all made her happy. 

“Aeleus and Lea are surprised in you, but deep down I know they are proud of you for taking on such a task for your family.” Dilan said, turning to Aqua. He leant against the kitchen island, running his hand over the granite top. “We’ve worked together for a long time, and I hope you know that they both love you very much, Aqua.” 

Aqua gave Dilan a bittersweet smile, nodding her head. “Thank you, Dilan. I appreciate your motivations.” 

Lux had finished shuffling his cards, wrapping them tightly together with a leather band. He stuffed them into an inner coat pocket, folding his hands. “Well? Do you want to go now?” he asked. 

\--

The city was sizable, but nothing compared to the massive sizes of Los Angeles or New York. It had many small businesses, and they stopped by a few to shop around. Aqua bought small things for her family back home, and deep down she knew they did not need them, but the thought was what counted. When it was around the time to eat, Lux pointed out a bistro, so they decided together to eat there. 

Despite the dreary weather conditions, many people still seemed to be out. The bistro was full of people, wall to wall, but thankfully the restaurant managed to clear a table within five minutes. Aqua and her guards sat down, flipping through the two-paged menus. Aqua could not help but feel terribly nervous. Her mind would not stop flashing back to the horrid acts she had commit in that small restaurant in Beverly Hills, some three weeks ago. 

She forced herself to put on a face and persevere. Lux and Dilan pulled her into conversation about what they would do for the coming months in Ostend; neither of the men were too happy of it, but they put their differences aside. Once their food had been ordered and they sat at the table drinking and discussing Aqua’s plans of returning to cinema, she turned from the men at her table and glanced around the bistro. 

From perhaps, three or four tables across from hers, she met eyes with a man. This man stared at Aqua, his eyes were cold, and his expression remained quite unfriendly. Something kept their gaze locked for a good moment, and to the best of her ability, Aqua tore herself from his eyes. It seemed like he did not appreciate her action, as his response was to get up and leave the bistro. When he left, he did not take his eyes off of her, and Aqua believed she was being threatened. 

She felt chills on her spine, and from the look of his eyes, the expression on his face, it was like he was undressing her with his eyes. Aqua was not comfortable, yet she was sucked into watching him as he left the bistro. He did not look like he belonged here in Ostend either, and Aqua wondered where he was from. 

“Is there something the matter, Aqua?” Dilan asked, turning around to find the person she was looking at. He nonchalantly shifted in his seat, glancing back at the very same man who stared at Aqua. 

Aqua shook her head, watching as the strange man left. “I-I don’t know…” she said with uncertainty. No one had ever shared a gaze as intense as the latter, and Aqua was not sure how to feel. “Everythings fine, I just think that man might recognize me from a movie.” she added, more uncertainty building in her heart. 

Lux took a drink, loudly setting his glass back down on the wooden tabletop. “I’ll go after ‘im for ya, if you wish.” he said, scratching his chin. 

The azure girl saw the man outside in the rain, peering into the windows of the bistro before turning the corner. She remained overwhelmed, her mind running with nothing but the sight of the man’s deeply tanned skin and chocolate brown hair pulled back from his eyes. He was dressed far too well to be thought of as a common man, and he was far too suspicious to rule him out of any interactions with the fellow clans or mobs in L.A. 

Dilan twisted back around. “He’s gone. I’ll get ahold of the boys at the oceanside, tell ‘em to keep an eye out.” he said, standing up. Dilan went to the host’s station to ask for the phone. 

“What a bloody creep.” Lux exhaled, shaking his head. “You didn’t recognize the bloke, didya?” His words were slurring together again.

Aqua stared at the ice in her glass, closely watching the condensation fall down the side. “No. I’ve never seen him anywhere.” she replied, shaken by the fact that she could not stop thinking about his eyes. “You don’t think he’s with any of the other families in Los Angeles, do you?” 

Lux shrugged. “Not that I can think of, love.” he said, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a pair of dice. He started to fidget with them. 

Aqua had this disgusting feeling rise in her chest. Deep down, she hoped she would never encounter him again. 

\--

Days carried on into weeks, and weeks carried on into months. Winter had passed and spring had sprung. The trees in the courtyard of the oceanside house began to bloom, and flowers were picked by house hands and placed all in and outside of the home. Aqua had taken a liking to the bright and sunny days of spring in Ostend, but she was awfully homesick. It’s been over six months since she had spoken to her family, and she was too curious to know what people had been up to in the meantime. 

The people around town had come to know Aqua in not a particularly good light, only knowing that she was shrouded in complete mystery. She would go into town often to see movies, get groceries with Dilan and Lux, or to just escape the cramped corners of the oceanside house. The house was not small, it was actually quite grand of a place, but it had become too much for the girl to survive in for half of a year. 

She was now packing and getting ready to go back home. Her heart soared with anticipation and excitement of seeing her family again. But before she was able to leave, she wanted to go back into town one last time and buy a new dress to wear. Dilan drove her into the city square, dropping her and Lux off at the department store. It was a small and quaint store, but Aqua fished around while Lux stayed at a decent distance away. Not too close to invade her personal space, but not far enough away to lose her. 

The azure girl found a yellow halter dress, patterned with sunflowers. There happened to be a wonderful pair of shoes to accompany the dress, so those were added. And finally a golden bangle, which was much of an impulse purchase. 

As they were finished, Aqua and Lux piled into the car, and they drove back to the oceanside. They pulled into the driveway and Aqua was escorted into the house. She separated from them, leaving for her room. It was odd as she approached the double doors, noticing that one was closed, when she distinctly remembered leaving one open. 

Anxiety simmered at the bottom of her stomach, and she slowly opened the door. She set a foot inside and looked up from the floor. Her eyes widened as she saw a great mess all over. Her dresser drawers were open and clothing was thrown all about, her bedsheets and blankets were strewn to the floor, the balcony doors were left open wide, and the vanity table was demolished. The small shelf that contained her books from home was overturned, a book even ruined from a spilled bottle of paint. Makeup was tossed on the floor, perfume bottles broken or knocked over, and on the mirror written in lipstick were the words: “The war is just beginning.” 

Aqua approached the mirror, dropping the boxes from the department store. She reached out with her hand to touch the writing, but quickly diverted her eyes down to see the photograph of her family torn in half. With shaking hands, she took the picture, biting back all sense to cry. She felt anger explode in her heart like a volcano. 

She heard footsteps approach from the carpeted hallways, but she did not turn. Her eyes could not leave the family photograph, but she desperately wanted to. Someone reached the door. 

“What the hell happened in here?!” it was Lux. He quickly unbuttoned his over-the-shoulder holster, pulling the gun out. He stepped over to Aqua, looking down at the photograph in her shaking hands. “Who did this?” he asked, knowing she would not have the answer. 

Aqua shook her head, setting down the photograph. “I don’t know.” she spat, taking a deep breath. Her breath hitched, and she slowly walked over to the balcony, stepping out beside a flower box of roses. To her left laid the pages of a book, and upon closer observation, they were torn from a journal that her father had given her. The pages contained stories that her father and mother wrote about, and what Aqua was like growing as a child. The journal was one of Aqua’s most prized possessions. 

She knelt down, a tear rolling down her cheek as she retrieved the pages. _It was that man. The one who won’t leave my dreams._ She thought. It did not make sense as to why this happened on the day that she would be returning to California, but it was clear that she had been tracked. Her heart started to burn with anger, similar to the fury she felt before leaving California.

Lux crept from the bedroom, his hands firmly around the gun. “Are you alright, Aqua?” he asked, making a notion to a guard in the spice garden below. 

“No.” Aqua said, taking the leather-bound journal in her hands. She returned the pages to the inside, flipping through the rest of the book to double-check that everything was in its place. As she approached the very last page, someone had written below the picture of Aqua’s mother and father. It read: _“We always come for the ones you love first. Seeing you break will prove satisfactory.”_

“I won’t stand for this.” she mumbled. Aqua closed the journal and held it close to her chest. 

\--

Aqua secretly reached California, her guards deploying several decoys to ensure confusion to those who hunted her. She kept the journal at her side for the entire journey, and she thought of nothing more than to destroy that man that she saw. Her mind, heart, and soul wanted nothing more than to see his destruction. He _had_ to be the one who damaged her like this. At least, there was not one other person in Belgium who seemed to give her such a problem as he did. 

The family home in Glendale had not changed, which made Aqua feel safe. Her father had been moved back home, but she did not go to see him right away. She knew that Eraqus had found out about her part in the murder of the police chief and family head back in November of ‘49. Now it was a new year, but a more frightening time. Eraqus would be upset, but he would not hate her, he could never be capable of hating his only daughter. His sweet daughter. 

Aeleus and Lea were nowhere to be found on the day she returned, but Aqua was told by her mother that they were speaking with other the other families. They were supposedly in a conference in Burbank. Aqua believed her mother, fleeing to the lounge chairs by the pool in their backyard. She dressed in her swimsuit, soaking up the sunshine that she desperately missed after seven months. 

After a while, she left to go back inside, and after changing and starting to help her mother with dinner, Aeleus and Lea came back home with a guest. They loudly discussed current events, but Aqua did not see who it was until stepping in to see Aeleus and Lea after her exile. 

Aqua paid no attention to the man until he removed his hat and sunglasses. She tensed, eyes widening, heart stopping. It was _him_ , the man! The man who tormented Aqua in her dreams, never giving her a serene piece of time. Accidentally, while trapped in an intense gaze between the man, she stepped back into a side table. The man seemed perturbed at Aqua’s surprise.

“Aqua this is our new family friend, Terra Erde. He is a part of the Erde family in northern Los Angeles.” Lea explained, grinning. “We have decided to work in partnership with each other, to cease the fighting between the families.” 

Aeleus did not say anything, rising from his seat and leaving the room. Aqua was so shaken that she had to sit down. She felt ice build in her chest. Yet… she could not confront him here with her brother. She could ruin the pact that they have made. 

“Terra, this is my younger sister, Aqua. She just came back from vacation in Belgium.” Lea said. He glanced at Aqua sitting in her father’s armchair, noticing something was wrong. 

Aqua extended her hand for Terra to shake, but he instead kissed the top. Her breath hitched, and she quickly pulled her hand back. _Stay calm, stay calm._

“I-It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Aqua said, tensing her muscles as she looked into his eyes. She sucked in a deep breath. 

Terra raised an eyebrow, sitting back down on the sofa across from her. He motioned for Lea to sit down, and the redhead did not refuse. Lea plopped down beside his new colleague. Aqua did not appreciate how calm and free everything seemed to be. She needed to tell her brother of what happened in Belgium, but it was probably Terra who had done it, yet she can't point fingers. 

Aqua grabbed bunches of her skirt in her hands, slowly gathering all of her might to tell Lea. Now would be the best time to expose their new friend. 

“Lea?” 

Lea took out his cigarette holder, offering one to Terra, but he refused. He lit his cigarette. “What is it, Aqua?” he asked, then taking a long drag of the tobacco cylinder. 

Aqua took a breath. “Before I was to leave Belgium, my room was ransacked and searched.” she said, watching as both Lea and Terra’s faces morphed. “I don’t know what they were looking for, but they tore up the journal that papa and mama gave to me, and they wrote on the mirror.” 

Lea sat up, blowing smoke out of his mouth. “What did this person write on the mirror, Aqua?” his eyes narrowed. 

“It was written in one of my lipsticks, and it read ‘The war is just beginning.’” Aqua replied, noticing Erde’s surprised reaction. He was either playing a good poker face, or he genuinely did not do it. She started to get frustrated. “The Winston family wants me dead. They have to know that I did it.” 

Lea shook his head. “They couldn’t have found out.” he said, shaking his head. “We had staff there. There were no witnesses. It is impossible.” 

Erde sat back against the couch cushions, crossing his legs. “I don’t think they would go right ahead and kill someone of your power, Aqua. You’re a national icon, you’re too important to the people.” he said, clearing his throat. 

Lea turned and faced Terra. “You’re right. She’s too valuable as a woman and as an actress. But there is always the off chance that they won’t hesitate to kill her.” he took another drag of his cigarette. 

Aqua stood up, frowning. “Excuse me. I have more important things to think about than my death.” she snapped, crossing her arms. But before she left the room, she looked at Terra. “Are you staying for dinner, Mr. Erde?” 

Terra nodded, standing up to see her go. 

The azure-maned girl raised an eyebrow. “Wonderful. I would like to speak to you in private later, but as for now, I must go.” she walked off, closing the sliding doors of the sun room. 

As she closed the doors, she leant against them, closing her eyes. Her heart began to beat with uncertainty, and ice filled her chest. She had not felt this way in many years, and she had to think. This wasn’t an infatuation, was it? 

\--

Aqua stood outside in the yard, watching as the sun set behind the vast city of Los Angeles. Her arms were crossed, but she remained somewhat reserved. She was not sure what to do with Terra sitting inside her family home, the place where she grew up, acting as a friend, when she did not even know if she could trust him as a friend. As the sun set further in the sky, her shadow grew behind herself. She heard footsteps shuffle through the grass behind her.

“I know you remember me,” 

The girl turned her head, raising an eyebrow. “How could I not remember you? You frightened me!” she snapped, turning back towards the sunset. 

Terra approached her side, glancing down at her. He then faced the sunset as well. “It was never my intent to frighten you, Aqua. I was only on a job. It couldn’t be helped--” 

“A job?! What kind of job entails staring at me from across a damn restaurant like a madman? I was supposed to be hiding!” Aqua growled, interrupting him. 

Terra cleared his throat. “I was hired by your father.” he said, calmly. 

“What!?” she said, turning to him. 

The brunet exchanged a long look with her. “It’s true.” he said. “I wouldn’t make something up like that. Besides, it was more on Lea and Aeleus’ part than your father’s. He was still rather sick--” 

“Enough,” Aqua sighed. “I know what state my father is in.” She found herself staring at Terra again. The shadows fell on his face in a peculiar fashion, but it happened to be somewhat attractive. Aqua ignored her thoughts. 

He cracked a smile. “Now you’re the one staring at me.” Terra set a hand on his hip. He did not say anything. 

Aqua folded her hands, watching as a cat walked across her neighbor’s gate. A breeze tickled at the back of her legs, and she ended up shifting in place. She desperately wanted to ask Terra if he was the one who ransacked her room, but she did not want to come off as standoffish. Although, she already had. 

“Did you search my room on the last night of my stay in Ostend?” she asked, locking her gaze on the plants to her right. From her peripheral vision, she could see Terra look over at her. Her teeth biting together in fear of what he could say. 

“You thought that was… me?” he said, crossing his arms. “Jesus Christ, Aqua.” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean to stir this fear inside of you, and I’m sorry that I had presented myself in the wrong ways.” 

“That’s not what I had asked.” she said. 

Terra shook his head. “No.” he said, clearing his throat. “I did not search through your things like a disgusting creature. I don’t even know where you stayed.” 

Crickets and birds filled the silence that followed his statement. Aqua felt the anger surge off of his skin, yet she remained unfazed by it. She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining a perfect moment where she could get along with him. A thought somewhere deep in her mind told her that maybe she could even become _friends_ with him. 

“You know, you’re being rather calm about everything.” 

“I have to be.” she murmured, folding her hands. “Have… you killed before?” Aqua slowly turned to face him. 

Terra shrugged. “More than just the two that you have, I’m afraid.” he said softly, sighing shortly afterwards. “I must warn you,” 

He locked eyes with her. “This is only the beginning, Aqua. People will not stop, no matter how far you might run, and I will do all that is in my power to protect you.” Terra seemed to reach out, as to grab her arm, but he stopped mid-movement. His arm returned to his side.

“Terra… I…” Aqua stammered, watching as the light of the sun faded from Terra’s face. She bit her lip, forcing herself to turn away. Her heart started to beat rapidly. “I--” 

“Aqua, dear!” called her mother. Mrs. Meister appeared on the back porch some ways away, waving over to Aqua. “Honey, could you help me set the table? Dinner's almost ready!” 

Aqua nodded to herself. “Yeah! I’ll be there in a minute!” she called back, feeling stability return to her heart. Before running off to her mother, she shared one more look with Terra, and she took a deep breath. 

“I’ll see you at dinner.” she breathed, losing herself in his eyes. 

Terra nodded, smiling. “Of course.”

And with that, Aqua hurried back off to her mother. She thought to herself how foolish she felt, surprised as to how calm and collected she had managed to act during her conversation with Terra. He did not seem as unapproachable as he had before, and Aqua was thankful for that, but she could not even comprehend her own feelings. As her time as an actress, she was able to perform magnificently, sometimes forgetting reality in the middle. 

Now, reality felt too harsh and real.

Aqua’s mother waited at the doors of the kitchen, extending her hand for her daughter to take. Aqua reached out and held her mother’s hand, forcing a smile. 

“Did you have a nice talk with Mr. Erde, dear?” her mother asked, walking Aqua inside, closing the door behind them. “He seems like a very nice man.” 

Aqua squeezed her mother’s hand. “It was… something, mama.” she said, being terribly honest, or not honest enough. “I’m not sure how I feel about him yet.”

Mrs. Meister frowned, resting against the kitchen island. “You have only just met him, you cannot be so judgemental my dear. Give the man a chance to become friends with him.”

The girl gently let go of her mother’s hand, and exchanged a long look with her. “For you mama. I’ll try.” she said, pulling her into a hug. 

\--

The dinner table was mostly quiet, awkward, and rather uncomfortable. Aqua was sandwiched between Lea on her left, and Terra on her right. Across from her was her mother and Aeleus. Aqua dug into her food, hoping the sooner that she was done, the sooner she could bid farewell and go see her father. It also did not help that she did not want to sit beside Erde. 

“So, Mr. Erde,” said Aqua’s mother. “How has your family been of late? I saw your mother at the spa the other day, and she mentioned something of your younger siblings?” 

Terra finished chewing his food, wiping his mouth. “Oh, well, we have been quite alright. My younger sister Kairi has began her time in college, that is all. She is also the youngest of our family.” he explained. “My mother might have said something of my twin, had she not?” 

Mrs. Meister nodded. “Your mother told me that he had achieved a large role in a period drama?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

The woman smiled, turning to Aqua. “Maybe you could audition for that, Aqua! I’ll call your agent in the morning to see if we can arrange something.” 

Aqua felt the hair raise on the back of her neck, realizing all eyes of the conversation were on her. She quickly finished her bite, nodding. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, mama.” she said nervously, trying to be honest. 

The table went quiet for a moment. Lea reached for the bottle of wine, filling his glass. “Have you seen any of my little sister’s films, Terra?” he asked, glancing past Aqua to Terra. 

The brunet nodded, setting down his silverware. “Of course I have. Anyone who would pass a film poster with her on it would be a fool to ignore it. She’s absolutely brilliant.”

Aqua shifted in her seat, staring deeply into the chicken breast she cut into. Lea laughed, wrapping an arm around Aqua’s shoulders. “ You’re damn right! She’s the best actress in all of Hollywood, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my sister.” he said, squeezing her shoulder. 

Aqua sighed. 

\--

Later that evening, Aqua had retreated to see her father. He was propped up in bed, three or four pillows behind his back, his eyes closed as he rested. Flowers and gifts from earlier visitors were scattered around everywhere, and homemade cards from Lea’s adopted kids were piled in a stack beside Eraqus in bed. 

Aqua slowly crept into the room, sitting beside her father. She took his hand, smiling weakly. Eraqus hazily opened his eyes, noticing his daughter sitting at his side. He smiled, squeezing her hand. 

“When did you get home?” he asked. His voice was shaky and very scratchy. It seemed that he did not stop drinking after the shooting…

Aqua leant in for a hug, slowly pulling away. “I came back earlier this morning. My flight left Brussels at six yesterday evening.” she said, biting back the urge to ask her father about what was to come next for the family. 

Eraqus took a deep breath, and he did not say anything for a moment. “Your older brothers told me what happened back in November.” he said firmly, meeting his daughter’s eyes for a split second. 

That second was all that Aqua needed to know. “Yes, papa.” she gulped. 

“You know I’ve never wanted this for you. Aqua, I’ve tried all I could to divert you from the life like mine. I truly believed you had no interest to begin this work, you seemed so invested in acting,” he said, squeezing her hand again, attempting to prove his point. “Lea and Aeleus were going to take care of things, I’m sure, but…” he trailed off. 

Aqua nodded. “Papa, I know that they were going to take care of everything, but that evening where you were unprotected in the hospital when I visited… I had to do something then. I knew of all I had to do, and then the police came… they refused to negotiate…” she sighed, shaking her head. “I could have stopped there, I _know_ I could have. But I didn’t.” 

Eraqus watched Aqua with a protective look, nodding as she spoke. 

“That damn officer hit me, and after his punch, I knew this would escalate.” Aqua met her father’s eyes, feeling the fire build in her chest. “I couldn’t sit back and watch anymore, papa.” 

Her father nodded, taking a deep breath. “You have the same determination and strength that I had at your age.” he said, trying to smile, but it seemed that he could not. “I have one request of you, Aqua. Just one small request.” 

Aqua ignored the anger in her chest, exhaling slowly. “Yes, papa?” 

“I request that you have no more interactions with the family business, for as long as I may live.” he said, his eyes returning to the cold murky brown that only would occur during serious moments. It was that frightening color that Aqua had only heard from the heavyhands during her life. The color that gave the old man’s enemies fear. “Your brothers will handle everything. You have no reason to partake in their activities, and you most certainly have no business with the thieves and scoundrels that they work with. Do you understand me?” 

Aqua’s eyebrow twitched, and she forced back her disappointment. “I-I understand, papa.” she said, her head turning to the floor. 

Eraqus let go of her hand, reaching over to caress her cheek. “Aqua, please understand that I’m doing this to protect you. You’re my only daughter, the light of my life. Please understand.” he whispered. 

Aqua leant into his hand, nodding. She did not cry. She just remained uneasy and upset. “I understand.” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's a new series based heavily on The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola, which is an amazing series and I highly recommend watching them!! I had a mega shift for inspiration of a new series when I watched the movies, and seriously like... I wrote 35k in 2 months time (a new record! ding ding ding) for this thing and I love it. There will be three parts to it, and I'm hoping to write them all around the same length. Nothing too crazy now B^). I'll be posting a weekly for this, and give a month or two break between the posting of the second part. Stay tuned!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3 
> 
> (This is a new note, as the first was deleted on accident)


	2. The Sister's Beating, The Brother's Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He raised his head, meeting her eyes again. “How will this work then?”
> 
> The azure woman shook her head, unsure. “I don’t know… but I know deep in my heart that I’ll think of something.” she said, softly. “Do you trust me?” 
> 
> Terra nodded. “Forever.” he replied. 
> 
> Aqua was taken aback by his answer, but she smiled sadly.

Days passed since Aqua had come back home, and everything seemed to operate perfectly fine. She auditioned for the female lead in the same movie that Terra’s twin brother was playing in, and she reached the callbacks. Everything followed normal circumstances until she landed the role three weeks later.

Things seemed too quiet. Aqua was certain that someone was to come for her, just as Terra had said, but no one had. She went to and from work, around the city, and so on, but nothing was unordinary. Even a few weeks into production remained normal. It relieved her.

Aqua was on location, memorizing her lines for the introduction scene of her character in the dressing room as makeup and costume came on. She read the script again and again, wheezing as a corset was tied and tugged on. Then once she was situated for makeup, the artists pulled her aside and sat her down. Everything ran smoothly, until the director’s assistant waltzed in. 

“I need a word with Ms. Meister alone.” he said, setting down his clipboard and script on a table. 

The makeup artist stopped applying powder to Aqua’s nose. “But we are on a tight schedule today, we don’t have time--” they said.

“No, I don’t care. Out. We can work on her in a few minutes.” the assistant waved his hand. When the makeup artist did not move right away, he cleared his throat impatiently, pointing to the door. “Do you want to lose your job?” 

The artist set down their powder puff and jar, scurrying out of the room, followed by two other artists and someone from costumes. He locked the door, and cleared his throat. Again. Aqua stared at him patiently and expectantly. She thought it was odd that he locked the door.

“May I help you, sir?” she asked, crossing her legs under the poofy skirt of her dress. 

The assistant crossed his arms, stepping over to Aqua, slowly. “Yes, Aqua. I’ve come to inform you of an important key factor of your acting for the role of Rosetta. It’s lacking. We need more conviction.” he says, staring at her through the mirror on the wall. 

“Conviction. I understand.” Aqua replied, making a mental note of it. “Was there anything else?” 

In the moment where Aqua had glanced down at the floor in thought and finished her reply, the “Assistant” had wound up a punch and hit her hard against the side of the head. She was knocked to the ground, and she held her head, woozy and shaken from the attack. Her ears rang. The man stomped on the woman’s back, sapping the air from her chest and slamming her against the ground. He continued to lay into her, kicking and stepping on her. Eventually, he pulled her up by the corset, and Aqua’s head hung in a state of mild unconsciousness. Her eyes were half-lidded, black and blue, and she took in one wheezy breath after another, trying to live. 

“This is from my boss, you bitch.” he said, slamming her against the wall. Aqua cried, and the man pulled her head up by tugging on her hair. “Your suffering won’t end until you are dead.” 

He threw her back on the floor, and as he stood up, Aqua weakly grabbed his ankle. Blood ran from her mouth and nose. The man sneered at her motion, tearing his leg from her grasp. He stepped on her arm, completely missing her hand, yet smiling grimly at the awful crunch of her bones. Aqua screamed. 

The doorknob started to jiggle rapidly, and someone banged from the other side. “Aqua? Aqua are you alright? Unlock the door!?” The person on the other side asked. 

Aqua’s attacker left through a window in the bathroom, having just enough time to escape before the door was kicked open. Aeleus hurried into the room, followed by Terra. They must’ve come to visit her during work, something they did every so often during the week. Aeleus ran to his younger sister’s side, pulling her into his arms. 

“Oh my god, Aqua!” he gingerly brushed back her hair. “Terra, where did the bastard go?!” 

Aqua faded in and out of consciousness, feeling her eyes flutter open and close. At some point Aeleus left and Terra was there at her side, as well as the director and her co-stars. Terra kept saying something to her, but she could not understand what he was saying. Her vision just faded to black, and her body fell to a dull numb. 

Somewhere in that black, she dreamed of being at home with her family. 

\-- 

“Aqua?” someone cooed. “Aqua, dear? Can you hear me?” 

A sharp pain rippled through Aqua’s face, and she flashed her eyes open to a tiled ceiling above. She looked around, unable to bend her neck without causing unbearable pain. There was a brace around her neck. At her side was her mother, a worrisome look plastered on her typically calm face, and her deep, dark, blue hair was pulled to the side. 

“Don’t try to move your head, dear. You’re badly hurt.” she mumbled. 

“Where am I?” Aqua wheezed, her lungs burning. “Where’s Aeleus and Terra?” 

Her mother nodded, sighing gently. She brushed Aqua’s fringe from her eyes. “You’re in the hospital, Aqua. Someone hurt you, and your brothers are going to take care of it. Terra is consulting with the other families in Burbank.” she said, resting in the seat behind her. 

Aqua sighed sadly, staring into the ceiling. She closed her eyes. Deep in her heart, she knew there was going to be more than just civil discussion over this. It was the 50’s now, and the daughter of a powerful man was attacked. This situation was going to send the Meister family into a pickle. 

“Please don’t worry, Aqua. They will be visiting you soon, and then you can ask them as many questions as you want.” Aqua’s mother said softly, squeezing her daughter’s hand. 

“I can’t _mutti_.” Aqua croaked, calling her mother the name she used to as a young child. “I made a promise to papa, not to get involved with any of their business. And I can’t hurt papa anymore.” 

Aqua’s mother sat quiet for a moment. “My dear,” she said, patting her hand. “You won’t break the promise to your father by asking a question or two. He is only concerned if you take his life business into your own hands, that is all.” 

The blue girl opened her eyes again, gazing out the opened window. She did not say anything in return, knowing that her mother was right. After a little, she shared some idle conversation with her mom, discussing things that did not concern the mob. Aqua forgot how comforting and subtle her mother was, and she was never at home enough to share this kind of discussion with her. It warmed her heart knowing how close she was to her mother. 

A doctor came into her room, wearing a fabricated smile and their hand stuffed in their coat. He told Aqua of all her injuries, ending it reassuringly with _”You’re very lucky to be alive!”_ It made the girl nauseous. She knew far too much about the medical business, if she could even call it that… 

According to the doctor, Aqua suffered a concussion, three broken ribs, a broken forearm, and a deflated lung. Now she would not be able to act for awhile, which meant sitting at home for a long time during recovery. The doctor said something else, but Aqua was trapped in thought. Her mother squeezed her hand. Aqua’s doctor left the room for a moment, returning to the room with a nurse and a tray. 

On the tray laid a syringe and a vial of some medicinal liquid. The doctor asked the nurse a few questions and statements, the nurse returning the notion by setting down the tray and scribbling something on a clipboard. She said something, but Aqua did not listen. A burning feeling grew in her stomach, and she was not sure why. All in that time, Aqua could only think of her step-brother Aeleus, and she could not tell if it was out of concern or just thought. 

The doctor slowly pushed the syringe into Aqua’s arm, pulling her from her thought. She felt the liquid rush into her body, and the taste tickled the back of her throat. Nausea bubbled in her stomach, but the world started to fade away again. Was she tired? Did the doctor give her a sedative? What was going on? 

Aqua fell asleep, but she still felt awake. Maybe this was just a rather lucid dream? 

In her dream, Aqua witnessed her step-brother Aeleus beating a man, and she did nothing to stop it. She realized that the wriggling man on the ground just so happened to be her attacker from the studio. Aeleus kept beating the man, slamming him into a stone wall, and taking the lid of a trash can to ram against the vulnerable man’s head. Witnessing this brutal beating gave Aqua confidence. 

Aeleus stepped away, leaving the man on the ground. “Touch her one more time and I’ll kill you,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He left the man’s side, escaping into the car waiting for him. 

Aqua watched as the car that carried her step-brother drove past her side, and she turned to see it go. As she turned, she noted Terra’s presence. He was standing behind her, extending a hand for her to take. She was weary to take his hand, afraid of what might come as a consequence. Her heart told her it would be alright, that nothing was to happen. Aqua still remained apprehensive. 

Her apprehension and anxiety woke her up, and she was back in the hospital room where she fell asleep. Across from her bed was a chair, and it was occupied by none other than Mr. Erde. The string of events from her dreams to reality made her question her sanity. Terra slouched in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest, with his head rested against the wall. 

The night poured into the open window of the hospital room, crickets and beetles chirped, birds sang their nighttime song, and a dog barked from some ways away. A breeze flew in and rattled papers on a clipboard. The ceiling fan ticked in its motion, and the various bouquets and vases of flowers released an unpleasant smell combined together. 

Aqua stared at the clock on the wall, squinting through the partial darkness to read it. It happened to be one in the morning. She was surprised that she slept so long, considering her mother was here sometime in the morning. Her eyes closed slowly to blink, and she tried to turn her neck slowly, realizing the brace had been removed. 

The girl’s mind ran with the thoughts from her dreams, and she hoped that something like it would not happen. She believed in her step-brother a lot, but it made her anxious to think that he would have no self-control over it. After all, Aqua was Eraqus’ prized daughter, and he would do anything to protect and satisfy her. But Aqua was not a high-maintenance girl, nor was she a fool, so Eraqus never had to bend arm and knee to make her happy. Aqua could only imagine how he was taking the news of his daughter attacked in broad daylight at the studios. 

“I see you’re awake, Ms. Aqua.” Terra said, startling Aqua half to death. 

She sat wide-eyed in the bed, holding her chest in surprise. “Good lord… you’ve frightened me quite a bit.” Aqua said, evening her breathing. “How long have you been awake?!” 

Terra stood up, stretched, and dragged his chair closer to Aqua. He sat down, crossing his legs as he leant against the back of the chair. “Only just now. I apologize for sleeping, it’s been a long two days.” he explained. “Your father came by earlier, leaving you flowers and a small box.” He pointed to the hospital table, pulling Aqua’s attention to it. 

Aqua raised an eyebrow, trying to reach it… but she could not. Pain shot into her side as she tried to reach with her good arm, and she could not even try with her broken arm as it was tightly wrapped in a cast. She hopelessly turned to Terra, sadly looking at him in hope of help. “Could you, please?” she whispered.

He nodded, extending an arm across Aqua to grab it. Terra took the box in hand, accidentally knocking it against Aqua’s cast as he pulled back. “I am so sorry--” 

Aqua repressed a yelp, gritting her teeth and clenching her hand. She took a deep breath, cursing under her breath as the painkillers began to wear off. “I-It’s alright, Terra.” she croaked, sucking in another breath. 

Terra stared at her in uncertainty and worry, and it took him a moment to focus back on what he was asked to do. “I’m sorry, Aqua.” he mumbled again, holding the painted wooden box gingerly. The top slid off with ease, and Terra set it aside, pulling tissue paper out of the box. His expression softened as he took sight of the gift inside. He pulled it out, handing it to Aqua. 

Aqua stared at the necklace, a bittersweet smile finding way to her lips. The necklace sparkled a soft silver, and the pendant was shaped as a star. It was small, but the gift made Aqua’s heart warm with joy. Her finger rubbed against the metal, noting her teeny reflection. She glanced at Terra. “Could you help me put this on?” she asked. 

Terra nodded, taking the necklace from her hand, and he unclasped it. Aqua leant forward, pulling her hair aside as he wrapped the chain around her neck. It took him a moment to clasp the necklace, but once it was secure, he slowly stepped back. His eyes found Aqua’s, and they shared a quick glance before the girl forced her gaze from him. Her heart started to beat rapidly. 

“Are you still afraid of me?” he questioned, arrogantly. 

“No!” 

“Then why do you always want to avoid conversation with me? You never speak to me directly, except for this one time.” Terra rested back down in the chair. 

Aqua began to fidget with her necklace. “That is not true!” she said, turning her head. “I’ve just never needed to speak with you, is all.” 

The man snorted, shaking his head. “You’re possibly the worst liar that I’ve ever known.” he said, crossing his legs. 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Aqua cried, feeling her cheeks bloom up in embarrassment. 

Terra looked at her for a long moment, between the spectrum of disappointment and total confusion. “It means that you’ve probably never told a single lie that worked before. I’m honestly surprised, since you’re an actress and everything.” he said, shrugging. 

Aqua sighed, biting back her words to chew him out. She thought about the man who attacked her earlier, and then she was reminded of her dream. Silence filled the room, and she slowly returned her gaze to Terra. It took her a moment or two to comprehend what she was going to ask him. Aqua faced him, a confident wave overflowed her heart. If she was going to become his friend, then she might as well do it the hard way. 

“Teach me how to defend myself.” she said, resting her hand at her side. 

Terra’s eyebrows raised in surprise, and he stared at her for a moment. “Well that came out of nowhere…uh.” he trailed off. 

Aqua frowned. “Teach me how to defend myself.” she repeated, slower this time.

“I would, but you’re hurt.” he said. 

“The moment this cast comes off, you’ll teach me.” 

“I can’t, it will go against your father’s wishes.” 

Aqua sat up, snatching Terra’s hand to hold. “You told me that you want to do everything in your power to protect me, correct?” she asked, feeling fire build in her chest. She really should not be sitting like this… 

He nodded, trying to release his hand from her grasp, but he could not. She was determined. “Yes, I did.” he replied.

“I want you to teach me. Tell me everything in the business. I want to know how to fight, how to shoot a gun correctly, and I want to know how to read people. I want to know everything that you have come to know as you’ve lived in a family who’s more powerful than mine.” she explained, truth pouring from her heart. “Please, teach me. I want to protect myself so I can protect the ones I love.” 

Terra watched Aqua with a protective gaze, something vastly different than the one they first shared. He was not sure why his heart kept telling him yes, but his mind said no. “Aqua, I believe you, I really, truly, absolutely believe you. But your father… he’s a keen man, he’s powerful, I can’t go against his will.” he said, holding Aqua’s hand with both of his. “If I go against your father… then… he’ll kill me. And then you won’t have a protector or a teacher.” His gaze fell to the floor.

Aqua squeezed his hand. “I won’t let him kill you.” she whispered, softening her voice as she heard someone walk by in the hallway. “You can’t afford to be dead, you have a family that loves you, friends who love you. And this war right now, between the families… it will only get worse if you were to die.” she said. 

He raised his head, meeting her eyes again. “How will this work then?”

The azure woman shook her head, unsure. “I don’t know… but I know deep in my heart that I’ll think of something.” she said, softly. “Do you trust me?” 

Terra nodded. “Forever.” he replied. 

Aqua was taken aback by his answer, but she smiled sadly and leant over. She kissed his cheek, hesitating at first. Her eyes closed as her lips met the smooth skin of his cheek, and she pulled away as quick as lightning, avoiding his eyes in the process. 

The room fell silent again, but Terra quickly cleared his throat. “I, um, think you should get some rest. Your brothers are coming to visit you later.” he stammered, letting go of Aqua’s hand. 

“Of course.” Aqua whispered, returning her hand to her side. She laid down again, confused as to why she felt so strange. Her hand pulled up the blanket, and she laid on her side facing the window, which happened to be the side where Terra sat. She was cautious not to meet his eyes, afraid of what might come next from her odd mood. 

The words from her mother echoed in her head, again and again. _Give the man a chance to become friends with you._

Aqua was not sure what her heart wanted. A friendship, or a romance. 

\--

“What!? How did it happen?” 

“Some men who worked for Marluxia and that crazy woman Larxene. They killed him after they witnessed him beating their best spy.” 

“Jesus fucking christ… what does his body look like?” 

“It’s mangled… there’s no way it’s in good enough shape for even a viewing. At least one hundred and fifty bullets are in him.” 

Aqua shook awake, eyes widening at the morning light. She did not move, wanting to eavesdrop just a moment longer. She needed to know who they were talking about. 

“Have you told anyone in the family?” Terra asked, his voice low. 

The other person was not familiar to Aqua, but they continued. “No, it only just happened some fifteen minutes ago, we suspect.” 

Terra audibly growled. “What the hell are you waiting for? Go tell Eraqus his son is dead!” he whispered, angrily. “Don’t you dare fail me, this is of utmost importance.” 

Another anxious moment passed, and Aqua’s heart stopped. Eraqus… son? Which one!? Her breathing picked up, and her eyes were stuck looking at the vase of daisies on the table. Tears scratched her dry eyes, and her nose began to run. 

“What are you standing there for?” Terra snapped. “Go, you idiot!” he groaned, falling against the wall. Aqua watched as he held his head in his hands. The other person ran from the room, the squeaking of their shoes remained proof of their absence.

She slowly sat up in bed, gripping the side bar for assistance. The cast around her forearm fell in her lap, and it ached in pain. Aqua faced Terra against the wall, her eyes desperately forcing back the tears that threatened and pushed to fall. 

“Who was it?” she asked him, gaining his attention. He shared a grim expression with her, and he stepped away from the wall. 

Terra cleared his throat. “Aeleus.” he whispered. “H-he was livid after you were attacked, and he found the bastard that hurt you.” 

“And he beat him. Didn’t he?” Aqua said, letting the tears fall. She met Terra’s eyes. “He beat the man as much as the man did to me, didn’t he?” she said. 

Terra nodded slowly. “He laid into him. Hit after hit, the man had stopped moving. Eyewitnesses included women and children. It was in a neighborhood.” he explained. 

Aqua broke down. “Ele… what were you thinking?” she cried, hiding her face with her hands. She could only imagine what her step-brother’s corpse looked like. The thought made her even sadder, and she shook her head, trying to clear it from her head. 

“Aqua, I’m sorry…” Terra said, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I wish it wasn’t like this for you.”

The azure girl sobbed, wiping her eyes. She stared into the blankets, imagining what the rest of her family’s reaction would be. Her heart mourned for Lea, knowing he would be the most heartbroken. Aeleus shared the same blood mother, the same father, they were close siblings. Aqua hated to admit it to herself, but she knew this would come one day. Her step-brother Aeleus was quiet, but once he was upset, he did not dare hide his anger. He was strong, intimidating, but deep down he was truly a good man. 

Terra sat beside her on the bed, dragging her attention from the boring blanket. He pulled her into a hug, and he figured the comfort was appreciated, as Aqua buried her head into his shoulder to stifle her crying. “No, it’s okay to cry, Aqua. Let it out.” he said. 

Aqua wrapped her arms around Terra’s waist, weeping into his shoulder. She felt safe there in his arms. 

\---

A week later, Aqua sat dressed in black at Aeleus’ funeral. She sat between Lea and Riku, who had flown in just a day after the death. Riku held Aqua’s hand, staring at the procession of guests giving remarks to his father before the funeral began. Eraqus stood with a cane in hand, his wife at his side, and a solemn expression plastered on his face. Once he sat down, the people dispersed to pews in the back of the church. 

Aqua stared at the stone floor of the church through the lace of her veil. As her step-brother’s casket was carried in, and passed their front pew, she could hear Lea break down in tears. She could not help but tear up. The funeral began with the priest saying some words of God, but Aqua did not listen as intently as she could have. She responded with others in mourning, but she did not think God could offer the peace that she needed. It felt wrong to be in a place of worship after her hands have been dirtied with murder. 

At a point during the eulogies, Aqua had actually tuned into the words that were spoken about her brother. She appreciated all of the kind words spoken about Aeleus, and she noticed moments of happiness appear in the expressions of her family members. It bothered her that no one mentioned that this was an act of murder, but she imagined if the speakers at the funerals of Carl Winston and Police Chief Jones had felt the same way as she did now. Never did it occur to her that she robbed two men of their lives until now. Men who had wives, children, families… 

Aqua forced the thought from her mind, as it felt like the searing eyes of the church were forsaking her to an eternity in hell. She looked away from the speaker at the pulpit, noticing Terra sitting with whom she suspected to be his family. A girl wearing a black sunhat sat beside him, her hair of cherry red was neatly pulled to the side; and on her other side sat Terra’s twin brother, Xemnas. Aqua had never seen them all together in one place before. 

The funeral inside the cathedral seemed to carry on for a while, and once it was over, Aqua was eager to leave. The casket was lifted back into the air, and carried out to the hearse by the same men who processed in. Eraqus and Aqua’s mother were the first to lead the family out, who was then followed by Lea and his two children Roxas and Xion. Aqua and Riku were the last of the Meister family to process out, and they were trailed by the Erde family’s children. 

The procession piled into cars behind the hearse, two for each vehicle. Lea rode in the first car, alone besides for his young infant children. Aqua sat in a car with Riku, and as she was inside, she met eyes with the Erde children before the door was closed. Riku sat quietly beside his sister, sighing heavily at one point. 

“You were distracted the entire time, Aqua.” he said, loosening the tie around his neck. “I could tell.” 

Aqua stared at the beige carpet interior of the car in guilt. “I can’t say you’re wrong, because it’s true.” she whispered, facing her brother. “I don’t who I am anymore.” 

Riku lowered his eyebrows, crossing his legs. “I don’t understand, Aqua. Are you afraid of something? Did you do something while I was gone?” he asked. 

The car pulled away from the curb, following the rest. The motion jerked Aqua and Riku back in their seats. 

“No one has told you, have they?” she said, looking out the window. Aqua tried to absorb ignore her feelings. 

“Told me what?” 

Aqua saw her brother’s reflection in the window. She appreciated his worry. “Back when papa was shot, just after you left for college after break, I took it into my own hands to exact revenge on the men who hurt him.” she explained, focusing on the passing cars outside the window. Her eyes flashed to the driver in the rearview mirror, and she felt uneasy. “I killed them, Riku. I shot them in a restaurant in Beverly Hills.” she lowered her voice significantly. 

Riku let out a deep sigh in reply, and he covered his mouth. “I see.” he said.

The car fell silent, and Aqua faced Riku. She frowned bitterly, shaking her head. “That’s why we are under so much more protection, Riku. I jeopardized our family, but even after the months of things quieting down, they started back up again, once I came back home from Belgium.” she said. 

“I cost Aeleus his life,” Aqua said, quieter this time. Ice built up in her chest, and it became harder for her to breathe. She wanted to cry. 

Riku’s eyebrows pinched together in worry, and he took his sister’s hand. “Aqua, this wasn’t your fault. Aeleus died from his own actions, and you were in the hospital, quite unable to do anything to help him. He chose this himself.” he reassured her, eyeing her cast. “I will never hate you for what you’ve done, neither will I blame you for what has come of Aeleus.” 

Aqua forced a smile, pulling Riku into a hug. “Thank you, Riku,” she whispered into his shoulder, quickly wiping her tears away. “I hope you never have to get involved with this. I couldn’t live with myself if something were to ever happen to you.” she added. 

Riku held onto his sister, nodding as she spoke. But he could not find the words in his heart to reply to her. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

\---

Time did not seem to slow down, and two months passed quickly from Aeleus’ funeral. The Meister family’s loss made a makeshift surrender for peace, and Eraqus spoke to all of the leading men of the other families in Los Angeles. He made words of peace, prosperity, and hope. The other families agreed to an end to the violence, sharing a lunch together to accept the agreement between them all. To Eraqus, he knew the peace would not last long. He’s worked for too many years and he was a hard man to trust, but the other younger men or men who were too old to even lead a family on their own, blindly accepted his trust and word. They were all fools. But so was Eraqus. 

Aqua did not return to acting after her arm healed. She relied on Terra to keep his promise of teaching her the ways of the business, and on the first day of her learning what to do, Lux was forced to go along. Neither Aqua or Terra were pleased by the arrangement, but Lea amped up security despite the time of peace. Terra had only invited Aqua out for lunch, but this acted as a front for the information they were going to share. 

Aqua was not thrilled by the plan, but she forced herself into accepting. As she got into the car with Lux and Terra, she started to have second thoughts. Lux slyly drove them to the restaurant, raising his eyebrow at Aqua sitting alone in the back seat. 

“So you two are goin’ out for a bite.” he says, turning the steering wheel calmly. “Ya got something going on between the two ‘o ya, I can see it.” 

Aqua bit her lip, and she looked out the window. Terra audibly sighed, glancing over at Lux in the driver seat. “No, we don’t.” Terra said, crossing his legs. “What makes you suggest something like that?” He was playing devil's advocate now. 

Lux grinned, looking over at Terra during a stoplight. “Ya two have the look to it.” 

“Excuse me?!” Aqua interjected, her face red. 

The driver laughed, pointing at her through the rearview mirror. “See? Miss ‘Qua’s face is all red! Even she knows it could happen!” 

Terra could not help himself, and he turned back smiling softly. “Lux, as a friend, I think you should stop talking before Aqua fires you.” he advised, clearing his throat. 

Aqua shifted in her seat, gripping at the handbag in her lap. She nonchalantly peeked at Terra, quickly catching his eyes before she looked back out at the summertime sights in Burbank. Ice started to build in her chest, but it did not make sense. She was not worried about anything!

Eventually, after Lux tried to dig into their plans a little more, they reached the restaurant. Terra was the first to leave the car, and he waited by Aqua’s door. Aqua was ready to leave, but she couldn’t have Lux trailing along. He was Eraqus’ eyes and ears when he wasn’t capable of being there. 

“Hey, Lux… do you think you could stay here in the car while Terra and I ate?” Aqua asked, leaning against the front seat. She had to think of some kind of excuse to get away from him… 

Lux raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that Aqua?” he pouted. “Do ‘ya not like me anymore?” 

Aqua shook her head. “No! Not at all! It’s just…” she trailed off, trying hard to think of something to say. “It’s just…” She saw Terra out on the sidewalk, waiting patiently with his hands in his pockets. 

“Just what?” he asked, turning to follow her eyes. Lux’s head flashed back, and he grinned. “You like him don’t ya.” 

_Well, that’s one way to be alone from him…_ Aqua thought. She looked at Lux, putting her acting skills to work by nodding softly. “I-I do. But you can’t tell papa! He’s still mad about Zack Fair taking me to my senior prom!” she said, knowing that her father was not still mad about such a petty thing. 

Lux winked, nodding. “I got ya back, love.” he said, still grinning. “Go have fun.” 

Aqua smiled softly, sliding over to exit the car. She got up to the sidewalk, and she sighed. Terra noticed her tension, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“You alright?” he whispered, smiling in an attempt to relieve her tension. 

“Oi!” Lux cried from the car as he rolled down the window. His shouting caught Terra and Aqua’s attention. Lux shoved his head out the window, pointing at Terra. 

“You break her heart and you’ll wish you knew you onions ‘bout me! I’ll conk ya right in the ivories if ya do!” he said, but his british accent pulled all of his words into one slur. It was hard to even tell what he meant. 

Terra looked around, confused. “Uh…” he said, glancing at Aqua. “Do you know what he said?” 

Aqua blanched, pulling Terra along into the restaurant. “I know exactly what he said. Just ignore him.” she said, hiding her face. 

The restaurant was lively, and it bustled with people from wall to wall. Since Aqua called in with an early reservation, they were given a table in an emptier area that was typically reserved for large parties or very important people. Terra checked with the staff, double checking that his heavy-hands were in place throughout the eatery. He could never be too sure, especially since he carted the Meister princess with him. Her life was in his hands, although he had great confidence in the girl to take care of herself. 

Aqua sat down at the table against the wall, admiring the music from a record player in the back. She smiled once Terra joined her at the table, and they set an order for their food and drinks right away. Her hands folded, and she thought about what she wanted to ask him first. 

“I suppose we aren’t going to get much across if we sit here in silence.” Terra said, taking a sip of his drink. He smiled. 

“You’re right.” Aqua replied, quieter. She felt her breath hitch as she admired his smile. She did not know why she felt like this. 

Terra leant back in his chair. “Well, what is it that you want to learn first? I doubt you’ll ever have to use hand to hand combat anywhere, but I can still teach you a few things. As for shooting a gun, well… you seem capable of that.” he said. 

Aqua nodded, staring into the woodgrain of the table. She tensed. “I want to know what it is like to work like my brother Lea. Who does he work with, who should I look out for, things I should know.” 

Terra hummed, crossing his arms. “Yes, I’ll help you with that, but can I ask you something? I can tell that you’re fighting with yourself, I noticed this specifically at Aeleus’ funeral.” he said. 

Aqua felt nauseous. She always hated confrontation, even if they were her own problems. “I don’t know what you mean,” she replied. 

He nodded, pursing his lips. “Sure you do.” Terra said, quirking his eyebrows. He paused for a minute, looking her up and down. “Look Aqua, I want to help you. It’s the right thing to do. My heart tells me it’s right to help you, but I’m not going to be able to give you any until you learn to help yourself.” he said, spreading his hands flat on the tabletop. 

“How do I help myself? I don’t even know what the hell you mean by that!” Aqua said, crossing her arms. 

Terra’s eyebrows pinched together, and he took a deep breath. He stared at Aqua, knowing she was running around the topic, so he figured now was the time to be straight with her. Before he got too frustrated. “Those two men you killed, yeah? You aren’t letting that go. It’s time to clear your conscience, because there is no damn room to clear it later when you’re leading men to murder others who betrayed you.” he said, looking her dead in the eyes. “When you are the head of a major million-dollar company or business, it's guaranteed that at least one son of a bitch wants you dead. And I assure you that they won’t hesitate just because you’re a woman.” 

Aqua felt her face go red. She did not know how to feel about his anger of the topic, but her heart did agree to go about clearing her conscience. Her mouth opened to say something, but the words got stuck halfway in her throat. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off like that, but these are things you must know. Your father never told you things like these, did he?” 

She shook her head. “No.” 

Terra reached for his glass, taking another chug of his drink. The waiter returned with their food, and brought along a wine bottle. As soon as he left, Terra continued to talk. “Anyway, we’ll need to work on that.” he said, popping the cork out of the wine bottle. 

Aqua sat silently, watching the steam rise from her food. “Do you have any ideas of how we are going to do all of this? It would raise too much suspicion if we just left everyday, or once a week, to practice.” 

“Uh… what are we practicing exactly? I was just gonna ‘teach’ in the sense that you’d adsorb it from word of mouth.” he said, cutting into the steak that he ordered. 

“What? I thought there was more to it than that!” Aqua raised her voice, frustration building in her heart. “I thought you were going to show me--” 

“Whoa-kay,” Terra interrupted, holding his knife up. “I didn’t say anything about showing you _anything_. You misinterpreted our agreement .” he said.

Aqua balled her fists. “But don’t I need to know how to shoot, or how to fight?” 

Terra shook his head. “No! You have people who do that for you. Besides any sad-sack with a gun can shoot it.” 

The azure girl was confused, frustrated. She leant forward, starting to dig into her meal. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that sooner.” Aqua said in between a bite. “I’m so upset at you right now.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin, shaking her head as she cut apart a chicken breast.

Terra snorted. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t expecting you to think this was spy work!” he said, biting his lip to contain his laughter. “We’re just here to protect those who matter!” 

Aqua looked up. “But… you matter too!” she said. Her comment quieted Terra down, all to the point of dumbfounded silence. He stared at her in an admirable way, and Aqua stared back, still utterly confused. “What?” 

Terra wiped his mouth with his napkin, taking a deep breath. “No one’s ever told me that before.” he said quietly. “I really appreciate that, Aqua.” He continued to eat. 

Silence flooded the table as they continued their meal. Aqua would awkwardly steal a look at Terra every so often, and she was confused by the feeling in her heart. She reached the end of eating, and her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes trailed up to take another look at him, but he caught her. 

“Has anyone ever told you that the blue in your eyes are so captivating?” Terra said, gazing deep into her eyes. “That was really cheesy, wasn’t it?” 

Aqua laughed, shaking her head. “I thought it was divine....” she smiled. “But no. No one has ever told me that before. It sounds like a line from a movie, in all honesty.” She reached for her glass, taking a small sip of wine. 

Terra grinned, taking a gander at his wristwatch. He stood up quickly, resting his napkin on the table. “Good god, we’ve been here for almost two hours.” he said, pulling out his wallet. “Let’s hope Lux isn’t passed out in the car.” 

“Oh he’s braved worse things before.” Aqua sighed, finding her feet. “Thank you for having me out today. It was lovely.” She smiled softly, holding her handbag. 

“Of course.” Terra replied, smiling in return. “We should do it again sometime.” 

“Are you coming back home with me? I’m sure Lea has something planned for you.” 

Terra nodded, taking Aqua in arm and lead her out of the restaurant. As they reached the blazing outdoor sun again, Lux was still sitting in the car, his eyes locked on the front door of the establishment. He sat up once he noticed Terra and Aqua, but he narrowed his eyes. 

“He didn’t do nothin’ to ya did he, Miss Aqua?” Lux called, leaning out the window. Aqua blanched again. 

“No!” she cried, squeezing Terra’s forearm. 

Lux chuckled, starting the car engine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been like fifty years (or what it feels like) since I wrote all of this, so like due to the circumstances, this had to happen. There's gonna be some ROUGH shit in future parts (not chapters) that needed the contribution of Aeleus' death. I do briefly remember my interest in killing a son of Eraqus' in this (like i said its very similar to the godfather bc i ADORE those movies) and I didn't want to kill lea cause hes got kids and a boyfriend. Aeleus is someone who I really haven't tapped into writing before so on his end, there wasn't gonna be much of a story for him. He was just always there for the family when they needed him. That's about it. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	3. Fleeting Feelings, Time, and Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can I help you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 
> 
> Aqua blinked, taking a moment to think of a reply. “I’m here to see Terra. We need to talk.” she said, crossing her arms. 
> 
> “You are?” 
> 
> “My name is Aqua Meister.” Aqua answered, surprised that this boy didn’t know who she was. They were only in Hollywood, she was an nominated for multiple Oscars, her face is on three billboards downtown... Everyone knows Aqua.
> 
> The boy nodded slowly, and then his eyes widened and he smiled. “You’re the girl that he kept talking about all the time! Yeah, yeah, come in!” he laughed, welcoming Aqua in. As soon as Aqua stepped inside, he held out his hand. “Name’s Ventus. I’m the newest member of the Erde family.”

The summer afternoon blazed on, and the sun beat harshly on the city of Los Angeles. Aqua sat outside at home with Lea and his kids, and they splashed around in the small kiddie pool near the garden. Lea played with his son, and Aqua handled his daughter Xion. This was the first time that Aqua was able to have some time with her brother since Aeleus passed away. 

“You’ve been very busy as of late, Lea.” Aqua said, floating a toy boat in front of Xion. “Has everything been okay?” 

Lea shrugged, rolling up the sleeves of his dress-shirt. “I’ve been tackling most of dad’s work, making deals and whatnot. Nothing more really.” he glanced at his sister, smiling softly. 

Aqua noticed his glance, raising an eyebrow. “You couldn’t be so busy with just that, Lea. I have heard from Dilan that he’s seen you leave after Roxas and Xion have been put to bed. You go out somewhere…” 

He narrowed his eyes. “Did he tell you, or did you ask him?” he asked, offering a ball to Roxas in the tiny pool. Roxas gladly abandoned the blocks he was playing with and started to mess with the ball. Lea ruffled the small patch of hair on his son’s head. 

“I only asked if he had seen you, is all. It wasn’t my place to continue the conversation as I knew what you were doing was important to you, and you only.” Aqua said calmly. “I only assumed from your actions that you met someone.” 

Lea sighed, but nodded. “You women always seem to crack the code, don’t you? I mean, I’ve been trying to find someone to appease dad’s wishes of me finding someone to look after the kids rather than a sitter or one of the house hands. He says it’s not good for their childhood development, even if they’re only toddlers. They can’t even speak for Christ’s sake.” he complained, reaching for his drink on the poolside table. 

Aqua gasped, covering Xion’s ears with her hands. Xion started laughing and looked up at Aqua. “Well I can tell you one thing, swearing in front of them isn’t going to be good! They’ll pick up on that when they’re little and you’ll have two menaces on your hands!” she scolded, softening her expression to look down at Xion. 

Lea rolled his eyes taking a sip of his drink, and then covered Roxas’ ears with his own hands. He leant over to Aqua, saying. “That’s a really shitty rule, but I guess you’re right.” he grinned, sitting upright and releasing his hands from Roxas’ ears. He accidentally nudged the umbrella protecting them all from the sun, and he stumbled to make sure it wouldn’t fall over. 

Aqua slowly released her hands from Xion’s ears, mumbling under her breath in frustration.She glanced at the men sitting at the patio table playing cards, and noticed Terra’s absence. _He can’t hang around here all day, Aqua._ She thought, shaking her head. 

“You looking for Erde?” Lea asked, splashing some cool water on Roxas’ head. “Before you came out here, he said he had to run back home before having dinner, so he’ll be here soon.” he said. 

Aqua nodded, focusing her attention on Xion, who decided to combine her boat with some of Roxas’ blocks. 

Lea cleared his throat. “He really seems to have taken a liking to you, Aqua,” 

“Who?” Aqua asked, turning to Roxas. “Roxas likes me? Well of course! He doesn’t have a better aunt than me!” 

Her brother shook his head, chuckling. “No, I meant Terra, yanno?” Lea said, watching as Aqua raised her head in surprise. “He’s only asks about you when he is over, and he usually likes doing things with you. Do you like him?” 

Aqua’s breath hitched, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “L-Like him?” 

“Yeah? Are you two friends? Or…” 

“Or what?” 

Lea smiled mischievously, raising an eyebrow. “Or do you love him?” He asked, lowering his voice. 

Aqua’s face flared up. She wasn’t sure if she could handle this question more than once during a single day. Especially if one was her own brother. “I-I…” she whispered. “I, um…” 

“Lea, you have a telephone call.” 

The redhead slumped down, frowning. “Can’t they take a message?” he asked, looking at his kids splashing in the baby pool. 

Dilan shook his head. “‘fraid not sir. It’s Xemnas, from the Erde family. He sounds upset.” he explained, folding his hands in front of his waist. 

“I’ll be right there.” Lea sighed, slowly standing up. He took his drink off of the poolside table, and turned to Aqua. “Can you help get the kids ready for dinner while I go take this?” 

Aqua set her embarrassment aside, nodding slowly. “Of course.” she whispered. 

Lea ruffled Aqua’s hair as he passed by, which made her snort in laughter. Aqua pulled Roxas and Xion out of the pool, requesting the assistance of Lux. They both carried the children upstairs to redress them and dry them off, then bringing them back down to feed them dinner. Lea hadn’t come back after an hour, and Aqua decided to put the kids to bed. 

As the azure girl returned to the kitchen to make her own dinner, Terra had returned. He sat in the sun room, admiring the sunset from inside the house. Aqua noticed him, feeling heat building in her chest as she watched. She forced herself to turn away, gathering leftovers for her to eat, and she retreated to the outside patio.

Aqua inhaled her food, staring at the darkness of the night as it ran over the sky. She observed the stars in the sky overhead, getting lost in the twinkle and shine they provided. Fireflies blinked along in the air, and fireworks started somewhere far in the distance. The smell of barbecues and outdoor cooking from the neighbors around her mingled with chlorine from the pool. It was the perfect midsummer's night. 

“What are you doing out here all alone?” 

Terra emerged from inside the house, and he walked to Aqua’s side. He smiled slightly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come back earlier, I had to take care of something…” 

Aqua pushed her chair back, standing up. “It’s fine. I wasn’t holding you to it, but I’m glad you came back.” she said, stepping away from him. Her heart started beating rapidly. She stopped beside the pool, staring into the rippling blue waters. 

Terra met her side. “You’re acting strange. Do you feel alright?” he asked, brushing back hair from her eyes. 

“I’m fine.” 

He frowned. “You certainly aren’t acting fine. Did something happen when I was gone?” Terra tried meeting her eyes, but she seemed to avoid his gaze well. 

Aqua shook her head, feeling like the world had left her. Everything was still, the sounds stopped, and the warmth of the night was gone. In some kind of slow motion, she looked at Terra, noting his worrisome expression. Her heartbeat was the only audible and feeling thing to her in this moment, and she finally found the answer to Lea’s pestering question from earlier. 

_”Or do you love him?”_ She heard, closing her eyes. 

In the state of slow motion and awkwardness, Aqua raised her arms, reaching out to cup Terra’s cheeks. She stood on the tips of her toes and leant in. Her lips pressed hard against his, and she felt heat fill her face. 

As time seemed to return, the sound of crickets and night birds returned. Aqua pulled away, opening her eyes slowly, returning her feet flat to the ground, and lowered her arms at her sides. She felt right, better than the anxious mess that she was just before this exchange. Words began to build in her throat, losing the ability to leave when she desperately felt the need to explain herself. The confused, yet somewhat pleased expression hastily plastered on Terra’s face looked like it wanted an explanation. He deserved one too, but Aqua was afraid she wouldn’t be able to give him one. 

“I love you.” she whispered. Her eyes were unable to focus on one characteristic of his face, and she forced herself to fall into the oceans of his eyes. 

Terra looked like he couldn’t find the words to reply, yet his mouth opened slightly, like he wanted to. He blinked, taking a deep breath. “Aqua, I…” he trailed off. 

Her heart beat rapidly inside her chest, and she was surprised that he couldn’t hear it. She folded her hands over her chest, feeling her heartbeat through her entire body. Aqua had been in a relationship before, so she didn’t understand why she was so afraid of this one. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother inside the house, finally back from wherever he had gone. She ignored him. 

Terra became her main focus of attention again, and she noticed as he set a hand on her shoulder. His other hand found her cheek. Aqua’s heart felt like it was going to burst. He leant down, returning her kiss with one of his own. 

Aqua craned her neck up, closing her eyes. Her heartbeat slowed as the kiss persisted, but she heard footsteps approach from the kitchen. She opened her eyes wide, pushing away quickly. Heat flared in her cheeks, and she stepped away from Terra’s side. 

The lights hadn’t been turned on yet outside, except for the pool lights under the water, and Aqua could see Terra’s surprised expression from her action. He tried to casually brush off what had happened, but he was too perplexed by everything. 

“Aqua? You out here?” called Lea from the patio steps. He squinted, shaking his head in the darkness. His arm reached back for the outdoor lightswitch, and he turned on the lights. 

As each light slowly turned on, Lea was able to see Aqua and Terra awkwardly standing by the pool, some feet away from each other. He raised his eyebrows, leaving the patio. Aqua’s face was white like she had seen a ghost, and Terra waved at Lea, curling his lips to a sheepish smile. 

“You two look like you’ve been up to something…” Lea said, crossing his arms. 

Aqua cleared her throat. “We were talking.” she replied quickly, not giving Terra a second to reply himself. She glanced at him, shaking her head when Lea looked away. “You said it yourself earlier. We have a few things in common, making nice conversation.” 

Lea walked around the pool, uncrossing his arms when he met Aqua’s side. He faced her, smiling. “Thank you for putting the kids to bed, it really helped. I wasn’t expecting to be on the phone that long wit--”

Aqua tuned him out, glancing at Terra behind her brother. She widened her eyes at the small, subtle, and shiny smear of lipstick below his lips. Terra noticed her looking and he raised an eyebrow. She made a small movement as to scratch her chin, nodding in his direction. 

“...And he kept going on about something with Terra here,” Lea turned halfway to look at Terra for a second, then staring back into the pool. “Saying he wanted him back home for a while. Terra’s been spending too much time here--” 

Aqua kept tuning Lea out, hoping Terra had gotten the message that there was something on his chin, and when she glanced back he was rubbing it off. She sighed, smiling. 

“...So as per the usual, I asked dad if we should suspend the partnership for a little, and he agreed.” Lea finished. 

“What?!” Terra said, looking at Lea with wide eyes. “Why would my brother say something like that? He isn’t in control!” 

Lea’s words hit Aqua like a bulldozer. She covered her mouth in surprise, eyes trailing up to her father’s bedroom window above the kitchen. A figure moved from the curtains, and she suspected it was her father. 

“No…” she whispered, barely even audible. 

Lea shrugged, facing Terra. “Listen, I don’t think it was him who made the decision. It was your grandfather, or uncle, or whoever is actually the head of your family. He seemed only like the messenger.” he explained, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Terra sighed in frustration, crossing his arms. “The tension is going to build again, you know. Marluxia thinks he can get away with anything, and he still has blood with your family.” he said, glancing to Aqua. 

“I know… I know… I really didn’t want to separate either, but it was my father’s wish. The last time I tried to change a plan of his, I ended up with a cigar burn on the back of my neck.” Lea said, looking at Terra. He picked up on the tension between Aqua and Terra, turning around to face them both. His eyebrow raised. 

Aqua folded her hands over her chest, closing her eyes. Under her breath, she actually prayed for another way. Anything but being separated. In retrospect, she wasn’t being realistic in her thinking, as they could just meet somewhere else. At least they lived relatively close to each other. 

Terra noticed Lea’s suspicious look. He didn’t say anything. 

Lea looked between them, glancing between Aqua and then Terra. He grinned, pulling his hands from his pockets and setting them on his waist. “If I’ll be damned.” he said, cocking his head. “I always thought you’d fall in love with his twin.” 

Aqua’s eyes opened, and she felt her heart start it’s rapid progression of sound again. Her eyes slowly trailed over to Terra, and then to her brother. She frowned, realizing she had no reason to hide. It wouldn’t be taboo if she was in love with him. Her eyes narrowed. 

“Why does it concern you?” she asked, crossing her arms and finding that calm state of mind that she needed. 

Lea smirked, turning halfway to look at Aqua. “It doesn’t, at all. I’m just your brother and I like shoving my nose into other people’s business.” he replied, quirking his eyebrows. “Besides, dad wouldn’t want you to get involved with someone like Terra. No offense, of course.” 

Terra shrugged, not opening his mouth to say anything in return. 

Aqua bit her lip, walking away from her brother by circling the pool to the opposite side. “Ah, I can’t say I’m surprised.” she scoffed. “But I want to let you know right now, Lea,” she crossed her arms. “Until I am helping you with this family, you can stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.” 

“Aqua, wait--” Terra started.

She left for the house, hurrying up the stairs and down the hallway to her bedroom. Aqua tore her shoes off, throwing them to the side as she entered. The door slammed behind her. She threw herself onto the top of her bed and covered her eyes with her arm. A deep sigh left her chest. She didn't even think of how a relationship could throw a wrench into everything. Her father would most certainly not condone a relationship between her and Terra. Eraqus didn't like anyone, and he's voiced his dislike of Terra before. The woman just didn't understand her father's reasoning for disliking him, he did nothing wrong, and if anyone should not like him, it should be herself. She still thinks about their first meeting in Ostend those number of months ago.

Aqua let her thoughts slip back to the past few minutes, remembering each sensory memory of the kiss she gave Terra. Her hand slowly crept up her side, touching the soft skin of her lips. She desperately wanted another kiss. 

\---

**October, Three Months Pass**

Times grew quieter, and less began to happen. Aqua returned to her acting career, gaining roles in two big-budget films, which put her back in the public spotlight. Security at the studios were beefed up, protecting all of their major actors and actresses, while directors were afraid of the attack on Aqua some four months before could happen again. 

Summer passed swiftly by, and Aqua grew another year older. Cooler temperatures flooded in from the warm heat of summer, and autumn pulled in full force by the time Aqua finished filming for her seventh major motion picture. She was getting ready to leave work, bidding farewells to her costars and crew, and then walking out the studio gates. Eyes followed her as she trekked past on the sidewalks, but she didn’t care. The only eyes she wanted to see were Terra’s, and she hadn’t seen him in a few months. 

He might have lived close to her, but they still never saw each other. It was like he purposefully avoided her, or vice versa. Aqua constantly longed to hear him speak, see him smile, or even share a kiss with him. She didn’t even see his twin brother, Xemnas, in at the studio anymore. The woman assumed he changed contracts between studios, which wasn’t uncommon at the time. Actors and actresses seemed to be doing it all the time. 

Aqua finally reached the bistro she was in transit to, and she found a table to sit down. She glanced all over and through the menu, eventually choosing a meal to eat. Her eyes stared into a magazine she pulled from her purse, forcibly distracting herself from the rest of the world. A hand reached up to fidget with the silver star necklace that her father gave her. 

While she lost interest in a beauty article, she looked up, and reached for the cup of tea she had ordered earlier. Her eyes danced around the small bistro, glancing here and there at the patrons. Some found her gaze and awkwardly waved, when one or two would come over for an autograph. A young girl, no older than ten came to Aqua’s side, sliding a small promotional photograph of Aqua from her last film onto the table. The little girl smiled. 

“Could you sign the back of this picture please? I wanna give it to my momma.” she said softly, looking at the floor.

Aqua smiled in return, reaching for the pen in her purse. “Of course! Is she here in the restaurant?” she asked, signing her name on the back of the photograph. 

The little girl frowned, shaking her head. “No, ma’am. She’s in the hospital with a bad case of malaria, but she’s a real fan of yours. And I like you a whole lot too! You beat up the bad guys, and get pretty boyfriends, and wear lots of pretty dresses too!” The girl’s eyes lit up. 

“Oh, I hope your mother gets better. You’re much stronger than me, I’d be worrying my mind away if my mama was sick.” Aqua said, handing the photograph to the young girl. “I hope your mother gets much better, dear.” 

The little girl smiled wide, hugging the photograph to her chest. “Thank you Miss Aqua!” she cried, falling into Aqua’s chest for a hug. “You’re the best! Thank you so much!” 

Aqua returned the hug, smoothing the girl’s hair. “You’re welcome…” she replied softly, staring at the floor. 

“I’m gonna go run this to my momma real fast! Thank you!” The girl pulled away from Aqua, quickly leaving the bistro and past the window. 

Aqua sighed, smiling gently as she returned to her reading. Music overflowed her ears, and she fell into a daze. She thought about her father, wishing he would let her contribute to the family. Her heart flooded with ideas of bringing the families together, ending bad blood, and starting cooperation amongst the families. She imagined what others would think of a woman leading their family. It was unheard of, completely unimaginable in the time. But someone had to pioneer it, and Aqua desperately wanted to be that woman. 

The waiter delivered her food, and she quickly ate, leaving the restaurant in order to to clear her head. As she walked down the sidewalk, a chilly breeze picked up and blew right through her. Aqua was never very fond of the colder seasons. 

The azure girl minded her own business, crossing the streets one after another. Walking seemed to clear her head, and she hurried to a payphone in a pharmacy store. Aqua dialed the phone, calling for her ride home. 

“‘Ello?” 

It was Lux, like always. 

“Lux? I need you to come pick me up. I’m at the pharmacy across from where papa gets his haircut. Can you come get me?” Aqua asked, talking into the receiver like he was in the booth with her. 

“Eh… I guess I can. Is everything okay? You sound all wonky.” Lux said.

“I’m fine! Just tired is all!” Aqua said, groaning. “Can you be here in ten minutes?” 

“I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Thank you. I’ll see you then.” 

Aqua hung up, opening the door to the phone booth. She walked around the store aimlessly, staring at boring inventory. Eventually, she left the store, waiting outside in the chilly October day. Lux pulled up after another few minutes, and Aqua hurried into the car, sitting in the back seat. They took off from the curb. 

“Lux, I don’t want to go home. I want you to take me to the Erde household.” Aqua said quickly, leaning into the leather seating. 

The british man raised an eyebrow, glancing at the woman in the back seat. “Why’s this all a sudden! I’d figure you’d have a new boyfriend by now.” he replied, focusing back onto the road ahead. 

Aqua growled. “We weren’t even dating yet! Besides, I had only kissed him once… but…” she trailed off, letting her momentary frustration simmer away. “I think I really do love him. He’s treated me more like a human being than just a woman in all of this madness, and after he left… I’ve never longed for anyone like this before.” 

“Oh no…” Lux said, pulling to a stoplight. “Your pop isn’t gonna like that. He didn’t much care for Terra when he was around. They didn’t get along very well either.” 

Aqua bit her lip, staring out the window. “Can you take me to his home or not?” she asked, frustrated. 

Lux didn’t say anything for a moment, focusing on driving. He sighed, quickly turning onto the street opposite in the direction of Aqua’s home. “We can’t stay for long, I told your father that we would be home soon.” he said, shaking his head. 

“I won’t be long at all. That is, if they’re home or not.” 

-

Aqua sat in the car, her mind running with all what she wanted to say. Luckily enough, the guards outside the gate to Terra’s home recognized Aqua from her career, and their gained entrance inside. The estate the Erde family owned was large, and the home resided in the middle of the land. Hedges were cleanly trimmed into asymmetrical boxes, all identical to the other, and flower patches covered most of the area around the gate in front. Trees lined the driveway sides, and as Lux approached the roundabout in front of the home, he slowed as another car was already there. 

“We’re here, Aqua.” he said, turning halfway to glance at her in the back seat. “I’ll wait here in the car, ready to go whenever you come back.” 

Aqua left the car, wobbling a little as her high heels hit the gravel driveway. She held onto the car door for support, then closing it as she felt confident enough. As she passed the other car, she noticed a gun on the floor in the front seat, and she hurried over to the steps. The front doors were wide, carved with elegant swirls and decoration. Everything was a bit too much for Aqua to handle. She used the door knocker, feeling like she would break the door down if she kept knocking. 

The door was answered by a boy with blonde hair. He seemed surprised to see Aqua standing there, like he never saw another person before. 

“Can I help you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Aqua blinked, taking a moment to think of a reply. “I’m here to see Terra. We need to talk.” she said, crossing her arms. 

“You are?” 

“My name is Aqua Meister.” Aqua answered, surprised that this boy didn’t know who she was. They were only in Hollywood, she was an nominated for multiple Oscars, her face is on three billboards downtown... Everyone knows Aqua. She was Hollywood's sweetheart.

The boy nodded slowly, and then his eyes widened and he smiled. “You’re the girl that he kept talking about all the time! Yeah, yeah, come in!” he laughed, welcoming Aqua in. As soon as Aqua stepped inside, he held out his hand. “Name’s Ventus. I’m the newest member of the Erde family.” 

Aqua shook his hand. “Are you adopted?” 

“Nope! I was hired as an assassin. I’ve got the best shot with a gun in all of America, but it’s time for me to settle down and not do so much work. So Mr. Xehanort hired me to keep an eye on the house and stuff.” Ventus explained, leading Aqua through the house. 

“Mr. Xehanort? Who’s that?” 

“The big man, head honcho, man with the money. Y’know, the head of the Erde family?” 

Aqua fell silent, remembering a time when Lea was talking about Xehanort to her father. She distinctly remembered her father’s disconcern for him. 

Ventus glanced back at Aqua walking behind, and he stopped in a corridor. He turned around. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to be Terra’s girlfriend, would you?” he asked, crossing his arms in thought. 

“What?! No!” Aqua said, staring at Ventus. “Why would you assume something like that?” 

The boy shrugged. “I dunno. It was just a question, jeezums.” he said turning back around. His arms swayed at his sides when he walked, and his head bopped along like a song played. “You don’t seem surprised that I’m kinda young.” Ventus chuckled. 

Aqua sighed. “I’ve learned to not be surprised at things like age in this business. I’m just curious as to why you took the job here. Do you usually work around in Los Angeles? Or are you an all-around-the-world sort of kid?” she asked. 

“All-around-the-world-kid. Plus Terra likes talking to me more than his brother Xemnas and Xehanort. And even Braig. But Kairi’s away too often at school for Terra to talk to her a lot, so they write letters and hang out whenever they can.” Ventus explained, not bothering to divulge into who this “Braig” was. 

He led Aqua to a regally furnished sunroom, where he plopped down on the sofa, and Aqua took a seat across from him. She crossed her legs, sitting upright and not more comfortably against the back of the chair. After a quiet minute, Aqua shifted in place. 

“You said we were going to see Terra.” Aqua said, holding back her anxiety. She really did not want to snap at Ventus, considering the fact he was an assassin and that she didn’t want to hurt him. 

Ventus yawned. “We are. He’s just busy talking to someone else right now with Xemnas. Also please call me Ven.” he said, propping his legs up on the coffee table. 

Aqua nodded hesitantly, resting in the chair. “Alright.” 

The room went quiet, and Ven stared at the ceiling, keeping tempo with his left foot. His shoe’s sole tapped against the table, and he hummed a song under his breath. A bird sang it’s song outside, but it wavered into the sunroom. Aqua started to feel uncomfortable. 

“Why are you keeping beat like that?” she asked, crossing her legs. 

Ven smiled, whistling. “I like to play instruments. Consider it a day job to bring in some extra cash, but it also works as excellent cover while on a job.” he replied calmly. 

Aqua fidgeted with her necklace, hoping that Terra would come out soon. She thought about how he might’ve changed since they last spoke, maybe he’s aged, but she just wanted to see him. No matter what he looked like. Her heart had already decided. 

From the corridor came voices, loud at that, and Aqua jumped in her seat. 

_“He means to kill them off once and for all, Xem. That’s not what our family ever intended.”_

_“You should know better than to think I’d ever want to destroy our family name, for Christ’s sake. We won’t let him hurt them.”_

_“What do you propose we do?”_

Ven laid back even more, eavesdropping just as Aqua seemed to do, but he was casual about it. The azure girl stood up, folding her hands in front of her waist, gathering the strength to talk. 

The two who were talking walked into the sun room, and they stopped at the doorway. It was Terra and Xemnas, the Erde twins. Xemnas was the first to recognize Aqua standing in the room, and he smiled deviously, taking another step or two across the floor. 

“We protect the Meister daughter, is all.” Xemnas finished, glancing to Terra. 

Aqua’s eyebrows were lowered in confusion, but she was so happy to see Terra that her emotions were mixed. She stepped away from the furniture, smiling at Xemnas, then to Terra. Her mind disposed of the words she wanted to say for her greeting, and it ran with questions of why she was in need of protection again. She gripped her purse in her hands. 

Terra turned his head up from the floor, nodding in response to his brother’s answer, but he slowly stopped as he saw Aqua standing just feet away. His lips fell into a breathtaking smile, and he took a step in her direction. “Aqua…” he said, like he was unsure of her very presence. 

“Terra.” Aqua replied, quickly walking over to give him a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist, taking in a deep breath of his scent. He wasn’t a dream, this really was reality… “I’ve missed you so much.” 

Xemnas turned halfway, watching the exchange between Aqua and his brother. He lowered his brow, moving to the same seat Aqua sat in before. His arms crossed over his chest. 

“I missed you too. Quite a lot.” Terra murmured into her hair. He felt the jealous eyes of his brother on him, so he slowly pulled Aqua back. His eyes wandered down to meet her’s in the embrace, but then he took his arms away from her waist.

Aqua turned away, clearing her throat. It took her a moment to remember why she was even here. “I’m sorry to come on such short notice. I know it must be surprising to see me here after so long.” she said, folding her hands over her heart. 

“Well, it sure is very nice to see you again.” Xemnas replied, smiling. “It’s been horribly depressing and boring around without you.” 

The azure woman nodded. “But… It was never my intention to stay long. My father will have a fit if I don’t come home soon.” she said, forcing herself to say goodbye once again. “I only wished to say hello and chat for a moment.” 

“Oh! Daddy’s girl!” Xemnas laughed. “I guess you’d better get home before you get grounded!” 

Terra rolled his eyes taking Aqua’s wrist in hand. “I’ll show you to the door.” he growled, walking Aqua out of the room. 

She stumbled out of the room, almost tripping to get to Terra’s side. “Ow! Why did you pull me out of there like that! It was very ru--”

Aqua was caught off guard a quarter of the way down the corridor, being swept aside by Terra into a side room. He pressed her against the wall, leant in and kissed her.

Aqua’s hands snaked up his neck, and she fell right into it. Her eyes closed, and her heart tickled in her chest. This is what she’s wanted for so long. From the intensity of this embrace, Aqua assumed this is what Terra wanted too. 

She stopped for breath, moving her hand back to caress his cheek. “We have to meet more often… I can’t keep lying to myself.” she whispered, playfully kissing his lips and cheek.

Terra nodded, returning one of the small kisses. “I’ve missed you so much, Aqua.” he said, resting his forehead against hers. “We have to stay together,” 

“Of course.” Aqua murmured, pulling him back into one more kiss. She let go of him, smiling gently. Terra gave her one long, sad gaze. “We’ll see each other tomorrow. I promise.” 

He nodded, taking her hand and once again leading her out of his home. Terra stared at her in the entrance foyer, holding her hand with both of his. Aqua slowly looked up from the floor, nodding softly. She pulled her hand away, opened the front door and stepped outside. Before closing the door, she shared one last look with Terra, and the turned away. The door was pulled shut. 

Lux sat in the car, watching as Aqua approached the car with a solemn expression. He grinned, starting the engine as she got in. “Didja see Prince Charming?” he asked, shifting the car gear.

Aqua pulled her purse into her lap. “Yes, we talked for a few minutes. He’s coming over tomorrow to talk to Papa about reviving the partnership.” she replied, sighing. 

“Oh.” Lux said, driving out of the Erde estate. He glanced at Aqua in the rearview mirror. “Does your father know about this?” 

“No.” Aqua said, catching Lux’s eyes in the mirror. “It’s something to let him know that I won’t sit back in the family anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY SON VENTUS IS FINALLY HERE. I LOVE VENTUS. Even if he's only here for a little bit, that's all that matters. I. Need. Him. In. Here. I think he's in the next few chapters too, in the next one with actual dialogue. I'm not sure how much of an impact he'll make on the story all together, but hopefully he'll get to inherit some shit. I'd love to see him lead the family one day...
> 
> Anyway, Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3
> 
> P.S: Roxas and Xion two year olds (babies at that point so...) are my favorite thing bye


	4. The Assassination, The Alcohol, and The Artist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We aren't immortal, nor are we perfect.

Aqua never felt uncomfortable in her own home before. There were always so many people around to protect her, and to offer her the security that a home should have. But now as she sat in the drawing room with her father, Lea, Xemnas, and Terra, that sense of security began to whisk away with the cold autumn afternoon. 

Eraqus watched Aqua, his brow low, a frown fixated on his face. “I do believe it is time for you to leave, Aqua. We have matters to discuss.” he said, coughing into his fist. 

“Papa, I don’t believe I’m going anywhere.” she said, crossing her legs. “I have some words to say about this too.” Aqua remembered all of the sadness, anxiety, and anger she experienced in the past year, and she transmuted it into confidence. She folded her hands over her lap.

“Aqua,” Lea said, glancing at their father as a warning symbol. 

“No, Lea. This doesn’t concern you.” Eraqus bantered, scowling. He snapped, motioning for Aqua to get up and leave. “You need to leave.” 

Aqua felt her face go red, and she bit her lip. Being snapped at like a dog didn’t make her feel too good. “Why can’t I stay? Would it really make that much of a difference if I were to leave?” she asked, anger building in her chest. 

“Aqua…” Eraqus warned. 

“No! Stop treating me like your prized possession! I’m not a trophy, nor am I some prize! I willfully went against your wishes of me never getting involved with your… _business_ , because I didn’t want to see you die in vain--” 

Eraqus shot up out of his seat, a surprising move by someone of his age and health. “That is enough, Aqua!” he boomed, a hand firmly grasping the armrest of his chair for support. “You have no place to work for me. You never have!” 

Aqua silenced herself immediately, and she looked at her father with anger still boiling inside. The Erde twins sat quietly on the opposing sofa, awkwardly watching as the family feud continued. Lea’s eyes were wide, and he watched his step-father with a worrisome gaze. The room was eerily quiet. 

“You are my only daughter. I never asked you to be the player in my revenge, and your brothers should have known damn well than to let you do it. I raised you to be smarter than that.” Eraqus continued, shaking his head in disappointment. “Aqua, I never set aside a title for you to claim in this family because I wanted to see you make it yourself. Now I lay awake at night hoping and praying that I won’t have to bury another one of my children before my long life is over.” His frown seemed to deepen. 

It took Aqua a moment for her father’s words to sink in. She gripped the arms of the chair, pushing herself out of it. Her eyes welled with tears, but the anger that bubbled in her chest sealed them from falling. “I see.” she whispered, clearing her throat. As she watched the floor, she felt the eyes of the others fall to her. Her brain told her to leave, but the poison from her father’s words left her paralyzed. 

“If you had no place for me, then why did you wait to say all of that until now.” Aqua asked, keeping her head to the ground. 

Eraqus fell into another coughing fit, slowly lowering himself back into his chair. “I never told you because you’ve never pushed me this far.” he said, reaching for his drink on the side table. He took a sip, loudly setting it back down. “It’s time for you to leave.” 

Aqua bit back her anger, walking past the men who watched her like a hawk. She balled her fists, opening the door, and leaving the room with it closed behind her. In the hallway she encountered Dilan, who shared a questioning glance with her. She ignored it, moving past him to escape outside. 

She stood on the patio, looking out at the other homes in her neighborhood. Despite them being some ways away, Aqua saw a cat or two on her neighbor’s roof. Her anger and frustrations still bothered her, so she began to pace back and forth beside the covered pool. A chilly breeze blew through her, and she shivered. 

Aqua told herself to stop pacing, and she was standing still at the edge of the pool deck and the yard. The grass was still the positively perfect green, like it was fake, and the garden had been tilled and covered for the coming winter. Hedges were trimmed back, and flowers still wanted to bloom despite the colder weather. The days barely got past 65 degrees on average. 

From the corner of her eye, Aqua noticed movement on one of her neighbor’s roofs, and she turned to look at it, expecting a cat. But it was definitely not a cat. It was a human being, laid down low, wearing an outfit of similar colors to the roof tiles. They pointed something in the woman’s direction, yet she couldn’t tell what it was from the distance away. 

The person sunk lower against the spanish tiled roof, maneuvering in an odd manner. Aqua approached the end of her yard, just beside the stone wall, and she squinted in order to see. Her eyes widened, and she quickly ducked behind the wall. It was someone with a rifle, a scope. They were here to kill her. 

She started to crawl towards the house, her heart pounding throughout her entire body. Dilan had come outside to check on her, and noticed her crawling on the ground. “What are you--” 

“Get down now!” Aqua screamed. She braced herself for the shots, and as soon as she did, a loud barrage of bullets began to pour in. 

Dilan dropped to the ground like a doll, crawling to Aqua to shield her with his own body. Bullets fired not from the sniper on the roof across the way, but from behind the stone wall separating the yard from the other neighbor’s houses and the road. Aqua covered her ears, looking up to witness one bullet pierce the window of her home, directly to the drawing room where she just was. 

The barrage was only a distraction for the sniper to fire directly to where her father and brother were, and Aqua started to panic. Dust and chunks of stone flew from the wall, and to avoid any bullets that might’ve penetrated through, Dilan grabbed Aqua by the waist and quickly rolled her into the covered pool before doing the same for himself. This move ended in the bodyguard getting three bullets in his shoulder, and another two in his calf. The cover of the pool gave under their combined weight and made them plummet five feet down. 

Aqua hit the hard concrete ground back first, slamming her head against the floor of the pool. She saw Dilan land on his side. Her vision and hearing became fuzzy and soon she had to close her eyes in order to clear it. Her head pounded and ached with sharp pains, but as she slowly came to, the barrage stopped. She shot up, which wasn’t good to do, and left her dizzy again. Dilan had sat himself upright, and he sat against the wall of the pool. Blood ran from his shoulder, and Aqua was hypnotized and frightened by the sight. 

Dilan rested his head against the wall. “Aqua don’t move. They might still be out there.” 

She shook her head, crawling over to help him. “Y-you’re bleeding! You need help!” she said quickly, reaching to help Dilan, but he moved away. 

“No, I’m fine.” he said, grimacing from pain, almost on cue. “Are you alright? Were you shot?” 

“No, no, I’m fine.” Aqua replied, wobbling to a stance. Tires squealing down the street was evidence to the attackers leaving, and she started to frantically leave the pool by way of scrambling up the tarp. “I need some help here! Dilan’s injured!” she cried, pulling herself out of the pool and onto the concrete ground. She glanced at the bodyguard lying at the bottom of the empty pool. “Hang on!” 

Dilan nodded, holding onto his bleeding shoulder. 

Aqua got to her feet, stumbling onto the patio, before getting knocked to the ground again when a second loud shot from the sniper’s gun just barely missed her. She really couldn’t focus for a moment, and had to shake the dizziness away from her head. The person who had pushed her to the ground was Terra, and he pulled her into the house. She looked at him, noticing the unusual pale and blanched color of his face. He almost looked like he was going to throw up. 

“Terra, are you okay? Are you hurt?” Aqua asked, hazily gathering her bearings for a second time. She brushed back the hair that gathered in his face from the fall, and she focused on his eyes. 

He shook his head, holding onto her waist tightly. “Your father… he...” Terra said, finding words to say in his nauseous state. 

Aqua’s eyes widened, and she heard cries and wailing. She squirmed out of Terra’s grasp, scrambling to her feet in an attempt to reach the drawing room. Someone’s cries were heard down the hall, and she pushed past the maids and heavy hands who stood in the doorway. She stumbled into the room, coming upon a body lying on the floor. 

It was her father, sprawled in the lap of her brother Lea, and the color red ran everywhere. Lea was in hysterics, crying into the corpse of his father. The gunshot was a direct hit to the old man’s heart, and it made a gruesome hole on the front of his chest. Blood was soaked through everything, a deep stain had formed on the back of his favorite chair. Aqua’s eyes widened, and she started to cry along with her brother. She fell to Lea’s side, holding onto her father’s lifeless hand. Her eyes closed, and tears poured over her cheeks. 

Aqua never felt so much rage in her heart. Nothing compared to this very moment, holding the hand of her dead father, while the very blood from his body just poured out like a burst dam. She kept wailing, wishing the her last words to him weren’t in the form of anger. It wasn’t fair. 

She promised herself that she would exact revenge. No matter what could happen to her. 

\---

The funeral took place in the same cathedral where words of God and promising eulogies laid Aeleus to rest, yet Eraqus’ funeral carried much more somber tones. Many more men rose from the pews in the church to give eulogies of the great Eraqus Meister, and none of the words of God given by the priest comforted Aqua this time either. She sat beside her siblings again, in the same pew as the last funeral, but all three Meister children wept more than for their brother. 

It soon ended, and everyone rode in the sad funeral cartel to the graveyard. Five flower cars followed the hearse carrying Eraqus. Like clockwork, attendants began emptying the flowers from the beds. Now as the priest from the cathedral stood amongst the hundreds of bouquets, vases, and arrangements of flowers beside the final resting place of Eraqus Meister, he blessed the casket. Aqua’s mother stood beside the priest, watching as the long line of mourners tossed a rose into the grave after they lowered the casket inside. She didn’t say a word, but instead wept at the sight of her husband’s grave. The colors and saturation of the flowers contrasted greatly from the dull October day.

Aqua sat beside her brothers again at a small group of chairs for the rest of the Meister family. An empty chair resided at Lea’s side, meant for his mother, but she had not even touched it. Riku never raised his eyes from the cold ground, and he breathed deeply. Aqua watched the line of almost fifty mourners toss roses inside the grave, and she met the eyes of a few of the heads of the families who came to see Eraqus be let down. An elderly man who was assisted by a middle-aged man, led the Erde family in their portion of tossing their roses into the grave. Terra met Aqua’s eyes as he said something before letting go of his rose. Ventus even came to the funeral, which surprised Aqua a bit. The Erde family came to stand behind the Meisters, and Aqua understood that it was a sign of their new partnership again. 

Aqua noticed two other family leaders in the procession of roses, and they gave a small nod of the head to her as a sign of respect. The woman was too keen to accept a respectful notion as such, and she knew deep down that something was brewing. One of the men had dusty pink hair, pulled back from his eyes, and at his side was a thin woman with blonde hair. They were suspicious. 

“Lea,” Aqua whispered, leaning over to her brother. “Lea, who are those people?” she asked. 

Lea bounced Xion on his leg, glancing up to see who she was talking about. His eyebrow raised. “You mean Pinkie and his blonde witch?” he said, bitterly. 

Aqua nodded. 

He sighed. “That man is the son of Carl Winston, and his mistress was Officer Jones’ sister. They are the people who want you dead.” Lea met his sister’s eyes for a split second, but focused on a fellow near the end of the rose procession. 

“Why are they here if they want to kill me?” she asked. 

Lea tore his attention from the man in line. “They were very faithful as business partners to our father before we had to end the deal. They didn’t want the deal to end, so they tried to kill him a year ago. And so on. We can’t refuse their intentions for mourning our father’s death. Eraqus wouldn’t have wanted it.”

Aqua nodded, resting back against the chair. She folded her hands over her lap, mentally unprepared for the gathering after the burial. She tried to think of the positives from here on out, like Riku graduating from his college on the East Coast this coming spring, and that he was going to study law at Stanford in northern California. His presence closer to home reassured Aqua, but it also worried her to death. 

By the time the last rose was tossed into the grave, people dispersed from the group of mourners gathered on the hill. Many retreated to their cars, while some came over to Aqua and her brothers to give their condolences. Lea left to speak to the man who he spotted in line earlier, and he took Xion with him. Riku left to join his mother beside the grave, and Aqua could not help but feel left out. She turned to meet the eyes of the Erde daughter, forcing a small nod of the head and a smile. That must have been Kairi. 

Men talked amongst her, nearly circled around her, and she felt left out even more. Aqua spotted Terra slowly approaching, but she turned casually to avoid gossip. The wives of these powerful men earned their poisonous tongues by gossip and lies. Terra met her side, and she stuffed her hands in her pockets. 

“I’m sorry your father has passed. He truly was a fine man, and he loved you very much.” Terra said softly, reaching for her hand. 

Aqua turned halfway, moving her hands away. “We can’t here.” she whispered, trailing her eyes up to meet his. The chatter around them nearly drowned her out. “But thank you for your condolences.” she gave a small nod of the head. “I appreciate it dearly.” 

Terra nodded, returning his hands to his sides. He seemed disappointed. “When can we meet?” he asked, gazing hopefully into her eyes. 

“At my new home after the gathering. We can speak then.” Aqua smiled softly, noticing the man who walked with Xehanort coming over behind Terra. She straightened her posture, glancing over at Riku and her mother. 

“Miss Meister, I would like to offer you my sympathy for the loss of your father.” the man said, folding his hands in front of his waist. “I would like to introduce myself,”

Aqua turned to face him, nodding gently. The man smiled grossly, and Aqua became slightly uncomfortable of his presence. “My name is Braig, and I work for Master Xehanort. Terra here mentioned that you came by a few weeks ago, and I apologize for not making your acquaintance then.” 

The woman nodded again. “No, you’re quite alright.” she said, extending her hand for him to shake. He grasped her hand firmly, shaking swiftly, then releasing. “I appreciate you coming to my father’s funeral. I know he would have liked it.” Aqua finished, looking at the ground. 

She zoned out from conversation, staring at the ground in thought. She was not sure what her father would have liked or disliked, wanted or needed, or actually cared about. Her heart was stuck in guilt after hounding her father minutes before he died, and she couldn’t even apologize for her behavior. Aqua loved her father, but she could not forgive what she did to the family. At this same time, a year ago, she murdered two men in an act of revenge for her family, thinking it was a good act. Yet now, she knows her father would have wanted to die knowing that his daughter didn’t partake in the work of dirty men. But he didn’t. 

\---

After the gathering, Aqua situated herself in the upstairs study of her new home, and waited for Terra. Not only did she want to sink into his embrace, she wanted him to know that she loved him. This relationship that they have built wasn’t one like a childish schoolgirl’s dream, but one of actual passion and love. Aqua had never felt feelings as intense with another partner before. 

She sat against her father’s old desk, running her hand over the smooth surface. Boxes were still filled with books and knick knacks from the move some two days ago, and shelves were empty with dust already starting to collect. Moving out of their old family home was hard, especially on such short notice, but Aqua’s mother didn’t want to live in the same house where her husband died, and nobody blamed her. Aqua couldn’t bear to make business with men in the same room where her father died. 

There was a knock at the door, and Aqua slowly looked up. “Come in,” she said, removing her hat and veil. Her hand still moved back and forth on the surface of the desk, keeping her at peace. 

From the door came Terra, and he stepped into the room, gently closing the door behind himself. He remained in his suit from the funeral, but his hair had been let down. It was odd to see him without his hair up and out of his face. “You look tired Aqua, maybe I should come back later…” he said, reaching her side. 

Aqua smiled weakly, shaking her head. “No, I’m quite alright. I just have a lot on my mind, is all.” she replied, reaching up to brush a strand of his hair behind his ear. “You look so different when you hair is down.” 

He raised an eyebrow, grinning. “What kind of different? Good different or bad different?” he said. His hands met Aqua’s waist, and he pulled her closer. 

“Good different.” she whispered, leaning up to kiss him. Aqua grabbed a handful of his suit jacket, and moved closer to him. She stopped for a moment, and breathed. Her heartbeat was a constant reminder that she was in love, and the thought crossed her mind that she could spend forever with him. She wasn’t sure if she was ready. 

Terra pulled back, shaking his head. “I don’t feel like we should be doing this, Aqua.” he said, loosening his grip around her waist. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you, because you are mourning the loss of your father…” 

She shook her head, frowning. “No… this is what I want. You’re pulling me from my suffering, and I don’t want to be in pain anymore.” Aqua said, running a hand through his hair. “Terra, you are my stars and my sky, and I can’t imagine a life without you.” She leant back in, pressing another kiss to his lips. 

“I love you, Aqua.” he said, between the kiss. 

Aqua smiled softly, leaning back. She pulled his hands away from her waist and held them. Her eyes glanced at the floor, then back to Terra. “We haven’t talked in awhile, and as much as I love your kiss, I’d like to hear how you’ve been.” she said, squeezing his hands. 

Terra nodded, returning her smile. “I would love to, Aqua.” 

The woman stepped back from the desk, leading him to the sofa against the wall opposite to the desk. He sat down, but Aqua retreated to the liquor cabinet beside it. She took out two glasses from the cabinet, and pulled the bourbon from the glass top. The glasses were set on the coffee table, and Aqua poured him a glass and nearly topped off her own. 

“I may be mourning, but I haven’t had enough to drink yet.” she admitted, returning the lid to the bottle of booze. “And if you don’t mind, then I’d like to get drunk.” 

Terra nodded, reaching for the alcohol. He topped his own glass off like Aqua’s, and raised it up for a toast. “I’ll join you. It’s been awhile since I last drank anything, and it’d be fun.” he said. 

Aqua tilted her head, laughing. She tapped her glass against his, then took a large gulp of the liquid. The liquor ran down her throat, leaving the kind warm feeling of alcohol behind. She missed it, and thought about how many days she had gone without drinking. She had remained somewhat sober recently, finding other ways to cope with the loss of her father. Within the passing second, she had filled her glass again. 

The more drinks Aqua started to consume, the more fun she had. Even if it was just talking with Terra about how she felt about helping her brother with the business, or how she found the deep tan of his skin so captivating. She laughed, cried, and got angry from just talking to him. Terra didn’t skip any opportunity to complain about his own life either, and Aqua found listening just as interesting as talking. 

As the night grew on, and there was no more liquor left, she sank back against the back of the sofa, resting her head on Terra’s shoulder. Her eyes closed, and she reached for his hand. Terra took her hand, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He gently kissed her knuckles, and Aqua smiled and laughed. 

“Sometimes I find myself lost about what I could really be doing with my life right now.” she said quietly. “Once I fled to Belgium last year, I was so afraid to ever have a family, but now all I want is family.” 

Terra nodded, hiccupping. “I think you’d be a wonderful mother. You seem to have a handle on your brother’s kids when he’s not here.” he said, running his thumb against the smooth skin of her hand. 

Aqua pulled her legs up onto the sofa, shifting to rest against Terra’s side. She let him stretch out to get comfortable, but then snuggled right beside him. She rested her head right at his chest, and listened to the pace of his heartbeat. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she felt her eyelids get heavy. 

“Goodnight, Terra.” she whispered into his chest, sighing. As she listened to his breathing, he slowly fell asleep himself, and his heartbeat and breathing combined lured Aqua further into a state of sleep. 

“Thank you for believing in me.” Aqua mumbled in a sleepy state. Shortly after, she fell asleep. 

\---

The next morning came like lightning, and Aqua was startled awake by the sound of books being slammed on a table. She opened her eyes to the dress shirt and suit jacket that she fell asleep against, but she shot up, promptly ending in her falling to the floor. Her head turned in the direction of the startling noise, and found Lea standing beside her father’s desk. 

“I guess I expected more modesty out of you, Aqua, and even I have my bad days, but I’d never go as far as this.” Lea said, shaking his head. “Getting drunk on the day of your father’s funeral? With him?” He rattled a book in Terra’s direction, slamming it back onto the stack he was putting away. 

Aqua’s head pounded, and she squinted from the bright light pouring in from the windows. “Oh who cares, Lea.” she mumbled, wobbling to her feet. “What time is it?” 

“Noon. Almost one.” Lea scoffed, settling books on the shelf. “It was a late night if you aren’t getting up until now. You should be lucky that we don’t have any meetings until tomorrow, or you would be making a poor first impression.” he nagged, glancing at her. 

“Can’t you give me some slack? Jesus…” Aqua groaned, turning to Terra on the sofa. His one arm was draped over his eyes, and he sighed. Aqua smiled, brushing the hair from his face. “Did you hear him, Terra? It’s past noon.” 

Terra whined, pulling himself from his lying position. He sat against the back of the couch, lowering the arm from his eyes. He met Lea’s eyes. “I should go home and get changed.” he sighed again. He reached for Aqua’s hand, and she gave it to him. 

“You won’t have to come back today, Terra. We’re going to be unpacking, and there’s really no need for you to hang around.” Lea said, turning to pick up another stack of books.  
Aqua ignored her brother, squeezing Terra’s hand. “I enjoyed talking to you last night. We should talk more often.” she said. Terra nodded, standing up. “Can you see yourself out?” 

“Yeah. Do you need anything before I leave?” Terra asked, reaching down to grab his shoes from the floor. 

“No, drive safely. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Aqua said, resisting the tempting urge to kiss him. She desperately wanted to kiss him goodbye, but not with Lea breathing down her neck. She instead settled for a hug. 

Terra grinned, letting go from Aqua after a moment. “I’ll see you then.” he replied, leaving for the door. Before he left, he faced Lea. “Have a good day, Lea. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he left, closing the door behind himself. 

As soon as she couldn’t hear footsteps on the other side of the door, Aqua crossed her arms, frowning at her brother. “What the hell was that?” she asked, stepping around the coffee table. 

Lea scoffed. “I know! He left and didn’t even give _me_ a hug.” he said, turning away from Aqua to hid his smile. 

Aqua sighed, shaking her head. “Why were you acting like that? Isn’t it okay for me to date people?” 

“Oh? So you’re dating now? Is that what that was all about?” 

The woman groaned. “Can you stop acting like you for just five seconds? I know you’re just acting how an older brother should be when their sister is in love, but can’t you just relax?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Lea stopped returning books to the shelving, tightening his grasp on the stack he held in his hands. He gave a sideways glance in his sister’s direction, swallowing hard. His head turned down. “I don’t want you getting hurt by him. You must be thinking now that he could be the one you want to marry, after the months of time you two have spent together, right?” he said, keeping his eyes on the books in his hand. 

Aqua’s eyebrows lowered. “I mean… I have thought about it, but I don’t know if I’m ready to get married. And I doubt Terra is either.” she replied, lowering her arms to her sides. 

“I have no say to whom you should wed, but I just want to warn you. I’ve known Erde for years, and he was never particularly one of long commitments with people.” Lea said, placing more books on the shelf. “And if he ever lays a hand on you, so help me _god_ I’ll kill him--” 

“He isn’t like that, Lea!” Aqua interrupted. She gazed out the window past her brother, beginning to pace. She sighed. “I feel like there was something you wanted to talk about if you woke me up the way you did. What was it?” she asked, trying to change the subject. 

Lea nodded, turning halfway to pick up more books. “I wanted to ask of you’d be Xion’s godmother. Mom keeps asking when I’ll Baptize the kids, so I figured after they turn three would be the best time.” He looked at Aqua. “Would you do it?” 

The woman nodded eagerly. “Oh Lea! Of course I would be her godmother! I’m honored!” she said, folding her hands over her heart. 

“Thank you, Aqua. I appreciate it.” 

\---

Aqua stared at herself in her bedroom mirror, resting her hands on the dresser before her. She gazed into her eyes, noticing the dark circles returning, and the shallowness that emanated from the surface. She looked back down at the makeup on the dresser top, and she started to put it on. 

Today was the first meeting with Lea and a family friend, and she wasn’t all sure of how it went about. Aqua planned on offering her own sound advice and instruction, hoping that her brother would agree to at least one to make the negotiation simpler. She wanted to look very nice and very professional, almost as if she was getting ready for an audition at the studio. But instead this was an audition for her family’s living. 

Once she had on all her makeup which was quite subtle, she got dressed and headed down to the new drawing room, and she situated herself inside. Lea came in not a moment later, followed by the Erde twins, and a man Aqua had never seen before. She sat down, steeling her nerves for whatever was to come. 

Lea sat right beside his sister, offering seats to the Erde twins, and then the man who Aqua did not know. He folded his hands. “Demyx, I would like you to meet my younger sister Aqua. She is going to be helping you alongside the Erde brothers and I.” he explained, and glanced at Aqua. 

Aqua offered him a smile, nodding her head. The man got on his knee, taking Aqua’s hand and placing a kiss on top. “Miss Meister, my name is Demyx Bachelor and before I request anything from you, I hope all your days may be well. I knew your father as a child, and as his godson, I’m truly honored that you are following in his footsteps. From the bottom of my heart I am grateful that you are seeing me at all, and I hope you have strong and beautiful children.” he said, shaking her hand. His expression was sincere, and Aqua couldn’t help but accept his wishes. She didn’t even know if she could help him, but she already felt bad for him. 

“Of course, thank you Mr. Bachelor. Now what is it that you need our help for?” she asked. She caught Terra’s eyes for a second, but she then quickly diverted away and focused back on Demyx. 

“Ma’am please call me Demyx if you could.” 

Aqua nodded softly. “Demyx, of course.” She still held onto his hand, believing it was comforting him in a way, and she thought it looked silly. But she didn’t dare stop.

The man smiled weakly, staring into the carpet. “There’s a producer who I’ve tried to get under, you see I’m a musician, a popular one at that, but he refuses to sign me.” 

“Why? I’d think if you’re a popular musician, then he could offer you wonderful opportunities!” she said, furrowing her eyebrows. 

“Yes! I understand that, but he would rather sign artists that get out a single, then die out within a year. He seems to be afraid of unnecessary expenses on my part, but he never told me why.” Demyx trailed off, returning his eyes to Aqua’s. 

Aqua nodded, thinking of a resolution. She smiled to him, resting her other hand over his. “I promise you Demyx, we will get this resolved for you. This… producer of yours should have no reason to deny your label after we speak with him. Now go, make yourself a drink in our den, and I’ll be with you shortly.” she said. 

Demyx patted Aqua’s hand, nodding eagerly. “Thank you so much, Miss Meister! Thank you so much!” he mumbled, kissing the top of her hand again. He scrambled to his feet, hurrying out the door in a gleeful motion. 

After the encounter, the Erde brothers and Lea looked at Aqua in surprise. Aqua noticed them looking and raised an eyebrow. “What? Did I do something wrong?” she asked. 

Lea shook his head, stunned. “No… that’s just… exactly how our father handled things. He was confident, just like you were now, and he offered sincerity and kindness to everyone who he spoke to.” he said slowly. His hand wiped down his face. “It’s frightening how much you’ve adopted from him.” 

Aqua frowned, staring into the plush rug on the floor. Her hands gripped the sides of the chair, and she took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure with herself if she wanted to be like her father or not. Her mind ran with ways that she could solve the issue with the producer. 

“Xemnas?” Aqua asked, turning in his direction. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “Would you be willing to go speak to this producer on my behalf?” 

Xemnas shifted in his seat, shrugging. He crossed his legs, and then nodded. “I suppose so. What do you want me to tell him?” he asked. 

Aqua thought for a moment. “Offer a _Subtle Negotiation_ to him. Learn what is precious to him, and if he refuses, then take that from him.” she replied, darkly. “Do it just as my father would have wanted done. Is that clear?” 

“I understand.” Xemnas laughed, standing up. He glanced at Lea. “I hope she stays in charge for a while, ‘cause I love the way she works.” he laughed again, leaving the room. 

Aqua faced her brother. “While he is out taking care of that, we have to go over plans for the other things. Would that be alright?” 

Lea shared a look with Terra, and he nodded. “Yeah, I mean, that’s what I’m in charge of.” he said, shrugging. 

“Good!” Aqua smiled, standing from her seat. “I have to go tell Demyx that everything will be solved and he should have a label with this big shot producer.” she said, walking to the door. Before she left, she shared a smile with Terra. 

As she walked through the hallway to the den, she felt confidence soar in her chest. Her mind returned to the time last year when she worried about what she could become if she was to stay in the business, but now as she actually was a part of it, it wasn’t terrible. She enjoyed helping her friends. Even if it was injuring another to get her way. 

Demyx stood beside the fireplace in the den, holding a carved glass in his hand. He turned halfway, spotting Aqua’s entrance. A smile grew on his face, and he faced her. Aqua approached his side. 

“Everything will be solved, Demyx. Xemnas has left to go speak to him now, and you should be a part of his label soon.” Aqua told him, returning his smile. 

The man’s eyes grew, and he nodded in relief. “Oh thank you so much! Your father would be so proud of you right now, doing his work. You’re truly a saint, Aqua. Thank you, thank you!” he said quickly, shaking her hand. 

_He is definitely not happy that I am the head. Papa’s rolling in his grave, cursing me to an eternity in hell._ Aqua thought, trying to push her thoughts aside to reply.

“Of course, my dear. You are my father’s godson, you are family. Please do not hesitate to come visit or attend parties we hold. I’d love to see you more often.” she nodded. 

After another moments of discussion, Demyx was off, and Aqua returned to the drawing room. Terra and her brother still sat in the seats they were before, but Terra wore an ashamed expression while Lea seemed upset. Aqua sat down, folding her hands over her lap. She ignored the men’s faces, focusing on doing business with her brother. 

“So currently, we are pulling in great amounts from our hotels in Burbank, Downtown L.A, and San Francisco. I think we could establish a new hotel or two on the east coast. Considering how well our trade has been handled and managed, we could even see three or four more hotels in our prospect.” Lea said, flipping through a few pages of paper on his lap. 

Aqua nodded. “Why don’t we stick to major cities first, then move out from there? I think Miami and the District of Columbia would be excellent spots, as many wealthy people flow in and out of those cities.” she replied, blinking slowly. 

“Well spoken, Aqua.” Lea said. 

She nodded, glancing at Terra, forgetting his presence since he was so quiet. “Have we tried New York yet?” 

“No, but we will.” 

Aqua smiled. “Good! Well that wasn’t so hard, was it?” she said, standing up. “Did you plan the Baptism yet?” 

Lea nodded, writing something down. “Yeah, I’ve planned it for next Wednesday. Are you ready?” he asked, grinning. 

“Always.” she replied, facing Terra. “Do you wanna come grab some lunch with me? We could go pick something up, or order something… whatever you want to do really.” she said, extending her hand for him to take. 

Lea looked up from his paper work, only to look back down. Terra nodded, taking her hand and standing from his seat. Aqua smiled, leading him out of the room. Before she exited, she looked back at her brother. “Do you want anything, Lea? I can buy you and the kids something if you’d like!” 

He shook his head. “The kids and I have a previous engagement.” he said quietly. 

Aqua frowned, leaving the room with Terra in tow. She squeezed his hand, stopping in the foyer to grab her things. She pulled her coat on, glancing at Terra who put on his own jacket. Her mind ran with things that she could say to him, but all she could think about was family again. 

As they walked out to the car, someone already sat inside at the driver seat, and upon closer inspection, it was Ventus. He laid on the front bench seat of the car, holding a comic book above his head to read. His eyes diverted from the book as soon as Aqua met the side of the car. 

“Oh my god it’s Aqua!” he cried, sitting up. “Are you coming home with Terra and I?” 

Aqua smiled, shaking her head. “No, we’re going out to eat. Do you wanna join us?” she asked, getting into the car. She sat in the backseat alone, watching as Terra joined Ven in the front. 

Terra glanced back at Aqua. “Why don’t we go to our apartment and we can cook something together? That would be a fun way to bond.” he said, looking at Ventus. 

“Our… apartment?” Aqua mumbled. 

Ven nodded, starting the engine of the car. “Yeah, Terra and I share an apartment in Downtown L.A. We can pick up whatever you want to eat, and we can make it there!” he said, pulling the car out of Aqua’s driveway. 

Terra turned to look back at Aqua. “You’ll love it there.” he said softly. 

Aqua smiled, nodding. She faced the window, watching the groundskeeper mow the grass along the drive out of the estate. Her hands folded over her lap, and she sighed softly. She wondered what Lea was doing for his previous engagement, and it bothered her that he wouldn’t tell her. It was not her business anyway, but it would make her rest easy if she did know. 

\--

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus stopped at a farmers market to pick some things up for lunch, and they then rode in the car to the high-rise apartment building in the city. Traffic was terrible, like always, and it took them some time to actually reach the city. Once the car was parked and situated, Terra and Ventus led Aqua to their place. 

The front lobby was decorated with luxurious furniture, and as they reached the elevator, an attendant took them to the sixth floor. The hallway was bright and open from floor length windows blasting in light, and Ven lead the party to a door three rooms down from the elevator. He opened the door, and let Aqua enter first. 

Aqua stepped inside, observing the spacious yet quaint room. The furniture was rather mid-century modern, a style that Aqua had only seen in some magazines as the furniture of the future. Portraits and pictures hung symmetrically on the walls, and bright colors painted the walls. She assumed Terra and Ventus had help when decorating, because she could never see someone like them distinctly ordering furniture like this willingly. She walked further into the open den-area, and to the right was the kitchen, and to the left laid the hallway to the bedrooms and bathroom. 

“This furniture is very interesting…” she admitted, running her hand over the vinyl upholstery. “But I love the bright colors and patterns in here!” 

Ven nodded, walking past her into the kitchen with their groceries. Terra followed him with his own bag of groceries. As he passed Aqua, he left a kiss on her cheek, startling her. Ven didn’t notice, his back turned to the stove. 

“We hardly ever cook in here, cause we only come here to sleep and wake up.” Ven said, turning back around to organize the groceries. “I’m usually at the house, and Terra’s either with me, or at your place.” 

“I see.” Aqua said, removing her hat and coat, resting them on an arm chair. She came over to help them cook. “It’s a shame, you two have such a lovely apartment. If only you could live in it more often.” She began to cut potatoes with a knife given to her by Ven. 

“Terra does sometimes host parties, but he hasn’t had one in a while.” Ventus grinned, glancing at Terra. The brunet bit his cheek, shaking his head. 

“It’s been a _while_ , and I don’t think there’s any reason for me to host one now. Besides, I’ve been busy.” he said, diverting his eyes from Aqua. 

Aqua smiled, thinking about changing the subject. “Will you two be able to make Xion’s baptism next Wednesday? I’m going to be a godmother.” she said, emphasizing the godmother in her statement. 

“I’m not sure. Isn’t that usually a thing for families to go to? Not friends?” Ven asked. He quickly cut an onion, mincing it into tiny pieces. He gathered the onion, setting in a pan to saute. 

“I don’t think so? I thought anyone could come, but again, it’s been probably fifteen years since I’ve been to one.” Aqua replied, focusing on cutting the potatoes. 

Ventus snorted, putting the scraps from the onion in a trash bin. “Well, I’d feel bad if I pissed off your brother by just showing up.” he smiled. 

Terra laughed, leaning against the kitchen island. “Your brother isn’t too fond of me anymore, after that whole thing that happened yesterday…” he said, stretching. 

Aqua sighed, quartering the last of the potatoes. “I can’t believe the lengths he’ll go to embarrass me.” she said, setting down the knife. “We only got drunk! What’s so terrible about that?” She rolled up her sleeves, shaking her head. 

“I think it was the fact that he found you asleep, beside me, on a couch, drunk.” Terra replied, shrugging. 

“Well, then he needs to stay out of my love life. It’s none of his business.” Aqua crossed her arms. 

Ventus fell into laughter, shaking his head. He continued to cook, oiling a pan for the potatoes, and moving around the cooking onions. “You two are ridiculous.” he said, tearing open the paper wrapping from the butcher. 

\--

Halfway through the afternoon of merriment, the telephone in the apartment rang, and all eyes fell to it. Ven stood up from the sofa, walking over to answer it. He picked up the receiver, slowly raising it to his ear. 

“Hello?” he said, his tone deepening to sound more professional. 

Aqua laid on the sofa opposite to the one where Terra sat, and she exchanged a glance with him. Her eyes fell back to Ventus on the phone. She laid her hand over her stomach. 

“Yes, this is him.” Ven nodded, setting a hand on his hip. He kept nodding to whatever the person on the phone said, then he stopped, turning back to face Aqua on the couch. “Yes, she is here. Yes, she is safe.” 

The woman slowly sat up, rising from her seat. She took a deep breath, raising an eyebrow. “Who is it?” she whispered. 

Ventus nodded in response to whatever the caller said again. He put his hand to the speaker, lowering it from his mouth. “Braig.” he murmured. He let go of the speaker, putting beside his mouth again. “Yeah, here she is,” 

Aqua walked to Ven’s side, taking the phone from him. “Hello?” she asked, uncertain as why Braig was calling. 

“Miss Aqua? Yes? It’s Braig, the assistant and lawyer to Xehanort? How are you today?” he questioned. 

“I am fine, just enjoying the afternoon with Ventus and Terra.” she replied, reaching to hold the telephone cord. “May I ask why you called for me?” 

Braig laughed on the other end, unsettling Aqua. “Miss, I provide the men who protect you daily. Your brother didn’t know where you went, but I reassured him that you were safe with two of the strongest in the Erde line.” he said. 

Aqua sighed. “I appreciate your concern, Braig. I do. But if the men at my home are aware of who I am going out with, then I believe they should tell my brother, instead of him phoning every family in Southern California.” she said, feeling frustration build in her heart. Her hand balled at her side. 

“Miss Aqua, I think you might be stepping over some boundaries here.” Braig said in a sing-song voice. “You think you’re the family heiress, don’t you? I’d hate to break it to you-”

“Excuse me, Braig, I didn’t pick up this phone in order to be harassed by you. If you have something to say to me, I’d like it straight.” Aqua interrupted, growling. “And if you don’t treat me with respect, then I’ll drop the business I’m sharing with you.” she warned, watching the clock hung on the wall. 

Braig laughed on the other end, and the receiver on his end rubbed up against something. It sounded like something was flying in the air on his side, and Aqua couldn’t tell what was happening. 

“You mean Terra? Is that your business--” Braig said, unable to finish his sentence. 

“Aqua? Is that you?” another voice picked up, sighing into the receiver. “It’s Xem, I got the dirt on that producer, yeah?” 

Aqua’s brow furrowed. “Xemnas? Yeah? What about the producer? Did he accept our deal?” she asked. 

Something rubbed against the receiver again. “No, but I was told by him after lunch at his home, that he was deathly afraid of anything happening to his hand-painted portraits. All grand and stuff. Gold in the frames.” Xemnas said, a gleeful tone falling from his tongue. 

“Portraits huh?” Aqua hummed, resting a hand on her hip. She thought for a second. “Is the artist alive anymore, and how much did he say they are worth?” 

“The artist has dementia, and they’ve recently been unable to even paint a stick figure. He said an upwards of thirty grand.” he cooed. Aqua could tell he was smiling on the other end, but she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. 

She glanced back at Terra and Ventus, grinning herself. “Thirty thousand dollars? My lord!” she cried. “It’d be a pity if they were destroyed, and the artist died.” Her mind wondered if that was too harsh of a punishment. 

Xemnas laughed. “I understand. We’ll send in our best. How should the portraits be found?” 

“At the foot of his bed. If he has a fireplace in his bedroom, then burn one. We have to break him. Do you understand?” Aqua asked, wondering if her father ever acted this childish and petty. Or this cruel.

“Yes ma’am. Also, I promise you that Braig won’t be harassing you anymore.” 

Aqua nodded. “Thank you. Call me when you get finished with the job.” she said, finding her lips at a frown. She hung up, turning around and moving back to the sofa. 

“You’re killing the artist? Why?” Ven asked, looking at her with a confused expression. “That’s such a waste of time.” 

The woman stared at the ground. Her hands folded over her lap, and she sank into the cushions. “Miracles have been known to happen to people like the artist, Ventus.” she looked up, nearly breathing her response. “You have to get rid of the person before the miracle can happen.” It worried her how calmly she spoke of killing an innocent person. 

Terra stared at her with worrisome eyes. “They’re innocent, Aqua.” he said. 

“Yes.” Aqua replied nodding. “Nothing’s wrong. I’ve finally helped myself, like you said I should.” She wondered why she was alright with killing a peaceful person. “I know this was bound to happen once I’ve agreed to this role, so why not it start off with a bang?” Her eyes fell to the ground.

Terra and Ven shared a look, but they didn’t say anything to combat her statement. The clock ticked, and noisy traffic knocked against the windows. Aqua kept thinking about her father, and she figured this artist’s death was nothing to worry about. Her father had to have killed numerous men who stood in his way. 

She’s passed the point of no return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aqua's upping the ante on her new role in the family, and I'm really excited for the next and final chapter on this part to come out next week. Expect more cameo's by other KH characters and possibly even some Final Fantasy characters that appear in the series. I've only just reached a third of the second part, of the 30K that i want it to be, so there might be a delay on it, unless i kick my ass on it; school is starting very soon, so that will also be something to consider on updates. But do not fret, part two is still happening and is very real. bye eraqus.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter! <3


	5. Meeting Mister Xehanort, and Feeling God's Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some heavy religious themes!

The family decided to lay low for a few days following the attack. They did not want to suddenly draw attention to themselves at the wrong time.

Aqua faced the attack of questions from her brother with a clear and forward approach. She believed what she was doing was fine, and she had no second thought about it. The artist was killed, the producer in ruin with himself, and a musician finally got the break he wanted. Demyx was family, and Aqua would do anything for family. 

“Aqua, what I can’t believe you would do, is order someone to murder an innocent old man for another’s personal gain!” Lea said, pacing back and forth. His hands ran through his hair, and he stepped anxiously, like something would jump out and attack him. “Do you know what this could do to the family? To our living?” 

“It was covert. The old man was killed in a way so it looked as if he died in his sleep.” Aqua replied calmly. “This isn’t going to hurt our family in any way. I promise you.” She sat down beside the tray holding a bottle of liquor. She reached over, pouring herself a glass. Her eyes trailed over to her brother’s form, and he watched her with a surprised expression. 

He nodded slowly. “You let this go to your head. This power, the position. Aqua, this isn’t something where you can just play god and decide who lives and who doesn’t!” Lea stopped pacing. 

“You think I don’t know all of that?” Aqua replied harshly. “If you hadn’t have told me that I couldn’t have murdered a man, then maybe I wouldn’t have done it. If your stuck up existence as a man would simmer away for a moment, maybe you would realize that I’m just as capable for this as you ever would be.” She gulped down the alcohol, loudly setting the glass back down. 

Lea didn’t respond, standing motionless across from her. His eyes fell to the floor, and he crossed his arms. Silence flooded the room. 

Aqua coughed. “I will never be capable of hating you, Lea, believe me. But you have to trust my judgement sometimes. I’ve learned from you, Papa, and even Aeleus, how to handle myself in situations like this. I’ve practiced, I’ve gathered my strength and set my differences aside for this moment.” she said, filling her glass again. For a moment, Aqua didn’t say anything, gathering the courage to think and speak. 

“As long as I am in this position, I will do everything in my power to leave this terrible excuse for living. We need to work together to dissolve the mob that our father has created. I know you want this for your children, I know mama wants this for us, and I want it so I can make my own family.” Aqua said, resting her glass on her lap. “I want us to be far away from pain… I don’t want any more of us to die from these circumstances.” 

Lea frowned, nodding slowly. He sank down in the seat beside Aqua, running his hand through the messy red mane of hair. The tick of the grandfather clock grew noiser and noiser, and the man looked up at it. 

“What do you think we should do?” he asked, reaching over to pour a glass of alcohol for himself. He took the glass in his hands, staring at Aqua for a response. 

The woman watched the ice in her glass, observing the way it absorbed the color of the bourbon. She rested her head against her hand, sighing deeply. 

“We stage a meeting for the other mob heads against me. If we kill the ones who have little to no followers, then we can get out.” she said, sipping her drink. “Then after the Baptism, we leave for Washington D.C. and move there. We start fresh. Invest in the hotels that we want to make.” 

Lea nodded, taking a drink from his own glass. “Who will run the hotels here?” he said, tapping a finger against his glass. 

“The Erdes. We seem to have a stable relationship, and I know they won’t mind to take some profit as well as they make for however many people they kill.” Aqua replied, raising an eyebrow. 

He shook his head. “That might be too risky, Aqua. If we want to have a fresh start, then we’d need to have a clean name by paying anyone possible to clear speculation. They might not even want to do it, unless it carries a great reward.” Lea took another sip of his drink, shaking the ice in his glass. 

Aqua didn’t respond right away, and she drank the rest of her beverage. Her mind leant in the wrong direction. “What if we arrange an engagement?” she offered, gripping the armrest. 

The lights in the drawing room bounced off the dark windows, and rain could be softly heard from outside. Aqua imagined her brother trying to wrap his head around her statement, as his expression was a mix between bewilderment and amusement. 

“What?” he interjected. “An engagement? To whom? For whom?” He smiled in confusion. 

Aqua’s brow pressed together, and she felt a wave of anxiety push over her. “I-I could get engaged.” she said softly. Her cheeks bloomed red, and she tried to casually pull it off. 

Lea sank down in his seat, recovering from the excitement. His expression relaxed, and his smile turned to a frown. He shook his head. “Oh no…” he whispered. “You took what I said that one day, right to heart. Didn’t you?” 

His sister nodded slowly. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently.” she replied. “But I don’t think the Erdes like me. I’ve spoken to Braig twice, and he hates me. I’ve never seen Kairi outside of attending funerals of our family, and I’ve never breathed a word to Xehanort.” she huffed. 

“But Xemnas and Terra seem to get a kick out of you. Especially Terra.” Lea groaned, resting his head against the wing-back of the chair. He took another sip of his drink, finishing it in one gulp. 

Aqua replaced her anxiety with confidence, shifting in her seat. “We have to do this.” she said. “It’s the only way for us to restore and rejuvenate the family name.” She thought about being a bride, about having children, and about being safe. Her muscles relaxed, and her eyes wandered to her brother. 

Lea bit his lip, shrugging. “If you think it’s right, then by all means. We need to get them in on this first. It can’t just be something we throw them into.” he replied, resting against the back of the chair. 

Aqua wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. 

\--

Two more days passed, and it became the day where Aqua needed to arrange the meeting with the Erde family. The date drew closer to the New Year, and what was better than to murder eight family leaders while Aqua was attending a Baptism? She would need to invite any unsuspecting members of the other families to create confusion. The more that were gathered together, the less suspicion would be raised. 

Sunlight poured through the car windows as they travelled to the Erde residence. Lea sat in the front seat with Dilan who drove, and Aqua rested in the back seat beside Lux. The drive was silent, and even the radio provided little in the way of white noise. Cars on the streets roared as they passed by. Aqua hazily watched figures pass, feeling nausea bubble at the pit of her stomach from the realization of having to tell Terra that she wants to get engaged. It did not occur to her that she would have to announce it first to establish the lines between their families, and then discuss it to him. And all of the plans she made with her brother rode on Xehanort’s agreement. Her stomach lurched, but she didn’t get sick. 

Their car passed the mighty front gate, and they pulled onto the drive. Trees casted shadows over the car, and then they reached the roundabout. The Erde house, or castle as it looked, remained just as decorative and perfect as it was the last time Aqua came here. She stepped out of the car, finding balance in her tall shoes on the uneven gravel ground. She waited for Lea, walking up to the door with him. 

Lea rang the doorbell, standing with his briefcase in one hand, and Aqua’s hand in the other. Before the door opened, he exchanged a glance with her, and nodded softly. As the door opened, an unfamiliar face stood behind it, and judging from their clothes, they were a maid. The maid welcomed them in, leading them to a room on the second floor. 

She opened the tall oak door, watching as Aqua entered. Sitting at a desk at the far end of the room was the entire Erde family. Xemnas and Terra stood at either side, the old man Xehanort sat in a chair behind the desk and Braig stood right beside him, and finally Kairi and Ven sat on a loveseat playing cards. They all took turns seeing who’d come in, raising eyebrows and making strange faces like they had never seen Aqua in their life. 

“Ah, the prodigy daughter enters,” said Xehanort, his voice low and scratchy. “Please, my child, come over and bring your brother. It seems from your phone call that there is some important business to discuss.” 

Aqua nodded, staring into the carpet as she stepped across the floor. Lea was right in tow behind her. The woman stood beside an unoccupied chair. 

“Please, sit.” the old man asked of them, folding his hands over his lap. 

Lea and Aqua sat down in chairs opposite to each other, looking across to the Erdes watching both of them. Aqua cleared her throat, crossing her legs. Her palms sweat, but she promptly smoothed her skirt in an attempt to dry them. She wasn’t sure why she was so intimidated by the old man, nor did it occur to her why she was so frightened by seeing the entire family before her. This did happen to be a family affair for them, and the thought never cross her mind to include Riku or her mother in this meeting. Before speaking, she glanced at Terra, who gently smiled. 

“Mister Xehanort, I am here as a business partner and friend, and I am hoping that you will consider the offers that I am about to make. As the leader of my family, I respect your choices, and hope we can reach a compromise.” she said, feeling her heart beat out of her chest. 

Xehanort raised an eyebrow, nodding. “Oh? What are these offers, Miss Aqua?” he asked. 

Aqua gulped. “Since my brother, Lea, and I are at the age where we wish to have families and settle down, we don’t want anymore harm to come to us. I couldn’t imagine having a child, to see them grow up and then be killed because of something from my own act. You understand, don’t you?” she said, using her hands to emphasize her meaning. 

The old man nodded, glancing at Kairi and Ventus sitting on the sofa. “Yes, I understand. But what you are saying, is that you wish to dissolve all relations to the mob. All of the violence, scandal, and danger.” 

“Precisely, but I wanted to honor your long standing support to my family. My brother and I want to offer you partnership in our family’s hotels. We will legally sign over half of the business’ name to your family, and we can work together.” Aqua said, blinking. 

The surprise in each of their faces were evident, and Xemnas turned to look at Xehanort in his chair, his mouth agape. “What about you? Your family?” Xehanort asked, clearing his throat. Once the man cleared his throat, Xemnas turned away. Terra watched Aqua with an uncertain look, almost like he knew that she had more to spill. 

“We are constructing hotels in Washington D.C  
and New York City as we speak, and our family plans on moving to Washington to oversee our hotels and build a safer life.” The woman paused. “I-I also… want to extend my gratitude and thanks to your family even more by…” She felt the words get stuck in her throat, and she had a choking sensation. 

“By… what?” Braig butt in, raising an eyebrow.  
Aqua’s eyes closed, and she squeezed her hands. “I want to honor our families by bonding together in matrimony. I offer my hand.” she said, feeling her face surge with red embarrassment. 

The expressions on each of the Erde family members was different. Xehanort seemed content, Braig was surprised, Xemnas’ mouth was once again agape, Kairi and Ventus were shocked, and Terra stood in disbelief. Aqua opened her eyes again, meeting those of Terra’s. He slowly shook his head, as if to say no, but Aqua didn’t understand. 

“That is quite the negotiation…” Xehanort hummed, resting his elbows against the dark oak desk. “By what way will you marry into our family?” 

“It is her choice.” Lea said, answering for Aqua. “As her brother, and after speaking with my late father of this matter, we were always going to let Aqua choose. It’s what’s right.” 

The room befell in silence, and the eyes were all on Aqua. She sat awkwardly, her eyes glued to the floor, while she zoned out. Xehanort nodded, narrowing his eyes in thought. Terra leant against the desk, seemingly exhausted from the meeting that hasn’t lasted longer than ten minutes at this point. 

“I will take your offer of business into thought, and I will speak with you again no later than tomorrow night.” The old man responded, glancing at Braig as he took a note on his desk. “As for marriage, Miss Aqua, I don’t believe it is me to decide that. I appreciate your wishes to tie our families into one, but I agree with your brother.” 

Aqua’s soul didn’t fall as far as she believed it would. She nodded in response, folding her hands over her lap. She looked at Terra, meeting his eyes again, and her heart stopped it’s aching tune. 

“I appreciate your time, Mister Xehanort.” she said, standing from her seat. As she stood tall, Aqua gave a slight bow of the head to the Erde family. “I hope we can work together soon.” 

Xehanort rose out of his seat, leaning against the desk for support. “Before you leave, I have heard word that a few of the other families are trying to undermine you.” he said, stopping Aqua dead in her tracks. “Do you want our help, this last time, to get rid of them?” 

Aqua raised her eyes from the floor, and she pursed her lips. “I had almost forgotten to mention that part. It was bound to happen someday.” she replied, indifferent. “But yes, your family’s experience on the issue would prove helpful. We shall discuss it later, if that is alright?” She finished, folding her hands. 

Xehanort nodded his head, an unappealing smile curling to his lips. “Of course. Expect a telephone call from me tomorrow evening.” he said. 

Aqua returned his smile, glancing to her brother. Lea stood up, leading her out of the room. They walked silently through the hallways. Just before Aqua turned the corner to the grand staircase, someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. She turned halfway, seeing who tugged her back. 

It was Terra, and he looked upset. His eyes were stuck to the ground, he shook his head, and sighed. “Did you mean what you said in there?” he asked, raising his eyes to look at her. “About marriage?” 

She nodded, reaching up to caress his cheek. Her lips fell to a small frown, and she blinked. “Of course I did, Terra.” she whispered. “I didn’t want to alarm you, please don’t think I said all that to scare you.”

Terra chuckled, shaking his head. “You would never be able to scare me, Aqua. I just didn’t think you were ready for that kind of leap.” he said. “You are still young,” 

“And so are you, Terra.” Aqua replied. She leant up, leaving a kiss on his lips. Her arm settled back at her side, and she pulled away. “I hope to see you at Xion’s Baptism. Maybe we can talk about something then.” 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Terra said, leaning back in for another kiss. As he stepped back, he smiled. “Have a good evening, Aqua.” 

Aqua walked back to the staircase, waving at Terra. “You as well, Terra.” she said, slowly stepping down the stairs. She saw her brother at the bottom, his eyes watching her as she descended. Once Aqua reached the landing, she nodded, leaving the house with her brother. 

Dilan was at the side of the car, opening the doors for Aqua and Lea. The siblings stepped in, sitting down on the leather seating. Aqua was seated beside Lux again, her eyes casually stealing a look at him before fixating on the floor. She sat in silence as they drove off, and she squeezed her hands. 

It was going to be a long week. 

\--

The phone call came just as planned, Aqua and her brother ran beside the phone, while she slowly answered it. Lea stood beside her expectantly, nodding along as he tried to listen in on the conversation before it even happened. Dilan and Lux sat on the sofa, across from Riku and the kids. All eyes fell on Aqua as she raised the phone to her ear, and at one point, she had to turn her back to them. 

Her hand firmly held the receiver, and she breathed deeply. “Hello?” she answered. 

“Aqua, yes? It’s Braig.” said the man on the other end. 

Aqua sighed, shaking her head. She really wished that Braig wasn’t the one who was going to call her. “This is she. Is this the phone call that was promised?” Her hand held onto the body of the phone even tighter, calming her nerves in order to carry a civil conversation with the man. 

“You are correct.” he said in a mocking tone. “We’ve decided on a compromise with you, and your brother.” 

“Splendid. What is it then?” 

Braig took a deep breath on his end, taking a moment to reply. “Well, Mister Xehanort would like to partake in the offer you made to us yesterday. The business portion. We would like to become partners with you. But only under one condition,” he paused. 

Aqua narrowed her eyes. “What is this one condition?” 

“That we publicize our partnership, and the engagement. The public still wants to get into your life, even if you aren’t acting as much as you used to. You _are_ still a star in Hollywood.” Braig said, matter-of-factly. “If you announce this to the world, then we’ll do even more business.” 

Aqua scoffed, looking down at the floor, then to the bookshelf against the wall. She looked into the eyes of her father, in a photograph, and she frowned. “I agree. Is there a certain time that Mister Xehanort wishes for me to be engaged?” 

Someone in the room behind her gasped, and they started to whisper. Lea shushed them. 

Braig hummed for a minute. “It’d be best if you married before leaving for the East Coast, but make sure to be engaged before you leave. If you can do that, then we are in the gold, Miss Aqua.” he finished. 

Aqua shifted in her stance, moving her eyes from the photograph of her father. “It will be done. Now, to the business of the other family heads. We’ll make it seem like a normal day for them, but then we hone in on them. Assassinate them.Perhaps during my niece’s Baptism. That way, our families can be present for it, giving us some clear cover.” 

“Is that so? Should we use our own blood, or hire some new help?” Braig asked. 

“Hire new help. That way we can have no association to them. We pay, they do the job, and we never speak again. Got it?” Aqua’s tone grew dark, and she glanced over her shoulder at Riku and the kids on the sofa. Riku watched her carefully, his eyes meeting hers for a split second, and he seemed shocked. 

Braig chuckled in response. “I underestimated you, Aqua. You’re truly a savage woman.” he said, laughing. 

Aqua didn’t return his laughter. She felt cold inside. “Is that all?” 

“Should be.” 

“Then good night, Braig. Give my best to your family.” Aqua said quickly, irked by the comment he made. She shifted in place again. She hated Braig. 

“You too. Good night.” 

Aqua hung up the phone, turning halfway on her heel. She faced her brother, Lea, nodding gently. He seemed to understand what the small motion meant, and he sighed in relief, turning around to look at his kids. 

The woman slumped down in the chair beside her, massaging her temples. She thought about when she should approach Terra about marrying him, since there wasn’t anyone else in his family that even came close to her interests of marriage. From the few words that they did mention to the other, they happened to be mutually in agreement about it. Aqua truly did love him, and she didn’t lie all those months ago when she first kissed him. It was a true fact. But now, they just had to commit everything to each other. 

“You’re killing more people? Even though there’s no need to?” Riku spoke up, facing his sister. 

Aqua was flown from her thought, and she looked at Riku. “Riku, there is a reason behind it, believe me--” 

“Was it the same reason for killing that artist?” he interjected. 

“No! I’m doing this so we can all live safe, normal, and risk-free lives! I want to see you grow older, I want to have children of my own. I can’t live like this anymore.” she replied, sitting up straight. 

“You? You can’t live like this?” 

“Riku, please, no… that’s not what I meant! I want all of us to be safe. I don’t think our mother wants to bury anymore of her family. We’ll be safe, please trust me.” Aqua stammered.

Riku stood up, marching to the door of the drawing room. “We will never be safe.” and he left, slamming the door behind himself. 

Aqua hid her face in her hands, shaking her head. After a moment, she was shaken from her sadness by the sound of Roxas babbling to Xion. She looked up, smiling bittersweetly at the children saying random words to each other. They gave her hope, and she swore to herself to never give up on trying to provide the safety and security that they deserve. Lea picked up Xion, holding her while he sat beside Roxas. He bounced his daughter on his lap, whispering in gibberish to her. 

“Don’t worry Miss Aqua.” said Dilan. Aqua turned to him expectantly. “Riku isn’t aware of everything going on, and he is only concerned for our wellbeing.” he explained, sitting upright against the cushions of the couch. 

“I hope you are right, Dilan.” she replied, gazing at her niece in Lea’s arms. Xion did a strange maneuver in her dad’s arms, giggling and turning around. The little girl pointed her chubby finger in Aqua’s direction, and she smiled. 

Aqua fell into a daze, closing her eyes and leaning back against the chair’s cushion. She took a deep breath and thought about the future. She was going to get married, have children, and live peacefully. Riku was wrong. They’ll be safe soon enough. It’ll just take some time. 

\---

Xion’s Baptism couldn’t have come any sooner. The cathedral was decorated with beautiful flowers of white near the Baptismal fountain, and people who knew the Meister family or Aqua came to see the momentous occasion. Lea carried Xion to the fountain, followed by a man whom Aqua had never seen before. He had long hair, blue at that, and it was neatly pulled up in a bun. He wore an expensive suit, and side glanced at Aqua as he passed in front of her. 

The rest of the Meister family followed, gathering around the Baptismal, and waited patiently for the priest to prepare. Aqua looked at Xion in her father’s arms, and then turned to the crowd of patrons. She spotted Terra and a few of his family members amongst the dense group, others in the crowd were fellow actors, journalists, or old family friends. It wasn’t surprising that so many people were here. But they weren’t here for Xion. They were here for Aqua, and the thought upset the woman. 

As the priest returned to the side of the Meister family, he began by announcing to the parishioners what was going to be done, and with the help of a young altar server, he read from the bible. At the same moment, Aqua could only think about the assassins going after the heads of the families. She glanced out to the crowd again, noting Xemnas’ presence. Her mind ran with the countless possible things that the men could be doing. 

She folded her hands, trying to remain respectable to her family that surrounded her. Aqua put on a face to make it seem like she wasn’t thinking of the last few men that she would put to death. Her brain soared with endless thoughts, but they didn’t make her fidget. She wasn’t nervous, nor was she worried about the job. By the Erde family’s word, and by her word, it was going to happen. 

“Miss Aqua,” said the priest. 

Aqua jumped from her daze, facing the servant of God. “Yes?” 

The priest looked at the woman with a worrisome eye, but then settled back into a casual and kind expression. “I will be offering a few vows that you must promise to your brother’s daughter. Please respond in the manner we have discussed.” he said, nodding. 

“I understand.” she replied, blinking. Her eyes ran to Xion again, trying to push the thought of men dying to the back of her mind. 

The silence in the cathedral was deafening, and not even a child in the crowd of parishioners made a sound. The priest turned back down to the book that the young server held in his hands. He raised a hand over Xion and the Baptismal fountain. 

“Will you pray for this child, draw them by your example into the community of faith and walk with in the way of Christ?” said the priest. 

Aqua remembered the moments in the restaurant with the men she swore to kill. “With the help of God, I will.” she replied, calmly. Her eyes fell to the holy water in the fountain. 

“Will you care for this child and help them take their place within the life and worship of Christ’s Church?” asked the priest. He looked at Aqua for the answer. 

“With the help of God, I will.” she answered, almost hallucinating the feeling of the gun in her hands. She turned to Xion.

The priest cleared his throat, and turned the page in the book. He raised his hand from the Baptismal fountain, to the air, as if to bring down the very presence of God with his words. “Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?” 

Aqua felt her finger on the trigger, pointing it right at the men who nearly killed her father. The ricoshay of the gun rippled through her very skin. “I reject them.” she said clearly, calmly. 

“Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?” 

“I renounce them.” she replied, keeping a steady gaze on Xion. 

The priest nodded, continuing the vows with: “Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbor?” he asked, tilting his head. 

Aqua felt the indigestion and reminding anxiety of fleeing the scene of murder. “I repent them.” she answered. 

“Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?” 

“I turn to Christ.” 

Exactly at the same moment, a man was shot during a trip to the barber. He was a man who attended Eraqus’ funeral, but despised his daughter. He hated women leading in the workplace. 

“Do you submit to Christ as Lord?” 

Another man was killed by strangulation in an elevator. He was visiting his nephew who had his first child. The man attended Eraqus’ funeral, and didn’t appreciate that Aqua took over his business. 

“I submit to Christ.” Aqua said, folding her hands. 

A man was shot walking to his office. He threw a rose into the grave of Eraqus Meister, sharing a glance with his mourning daughter.

The priest looked at Aqua straight on, reciting the words: “Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?” he asked. 

Aqua stood tall, swallowing hard. She met the eyes of the priest, feeling her eternal damnation tickle her feet as she did not truthfully resent or reject the corruption of sin and evil. She felt the frustration of her late father burn at her back, but she did not flinch. Her reply flew from her mouth in a beautiful and gracious movement, like the angels in heaven bestowed his grace and perfection upon her. 

“I come to Christ.” she finished, elegantly. 

The souls of two more men left the earth, murdered in cold blood as they ate breakfast together in a meeting. These two men attended Eraqus Meister’s funeral, tossing apologetic roses into the man’s grave, and then leaving before giving their condolences to the family. They often spoke to their colleagues of how Aqua ruined her father’s business by bestowing the role of leadership to herself, instead of Lea inheriting it like he should have. The men were nothing but enemies to the powerful woman. 

Aqua felt rejuvenated, blessed, ethereal. Her eyes dashed to the crowd of parishioners again, finding Terra in the middle again. He smiled at her, and Aqua smiled too. The priest carried on with the Baptism, and Aqua couldn’t help but zone out for the remainder of the ceremony. The very moment that the Meister family returned to their seats in the pews, the ceremonial mass flew at the speed of sound. By the time it was over, Aqua was ready to speak to the press about the partnership between her family and the Erde’s. She was eager to announce her wedding to the media, wanting to get it over with so she could leave for the East Coast and start her life anew. 

The crowd slowly left the church, filtering out in neat orderly lines. In the atrium and exterior steps of the cathedral, Aqua was pulled into conversations with others who attended the mass. She was congratulated, given blessings, told how lucky Xion was to have her as a godmother, and was even asked once to give an autograph. She remained closely to Lea’s side with Xion and the man that Aqua had never met before. Once they were left to themselves, Aqua stepped in front of the man. 

“I’m afraid that I have never been able to meet your relation before.” she said, professionally, extending a hand for him to shake. “I’m Aqua Meister, the sister of Lea, but you must’ve known that.” She felt her smile fall as his expression soured. 

The man raised an eyebrow, returning her handshake. He remained quiet after a minute, his expression hardening. “So I’ve heard.” he replied, returning his hand at his side. 

“Isa!” Lea said, juggling Xion in his hands. Dilan stood at his side, Roxas standing and speaking the same two words to Dilan as he tried to comprehend what the toddler was saying. “I’m sorry, Aqua. I meant to introduce you two earlier but we just got caught up.” Lea added.

Aqua shook her head in understanding. “No, no… I understand completely.” 

Lea rolled his eyes, making a face at Isa. “Anyway, this is Isa Sahar. We work together, and he also helps me with the kids.” he explains, noticing Xion’s interest in Isa’s presence. She reached out to the blue-haired man, making “grabby-fists” in his direction. Lea smiled, handing Xion to him. 

“It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Mister Sahar. I hope you will be able to make the dinner we have planned for tonight, do you know of it?” Aqua asked, folding her hands. Her eyes dashed over Isa’s shoulder to see the Erde family speaking with Aqua’s mother and Riku.

Isa glanced at Lea, and they exchanged a look. Just as it seemed that he was going to reply, Lea nodded quickly. “Yes. He’ll be there.” 

Aqua smiled, moving down a step. “I’m very glad to hear that! I cannot wait to see you then, but as for now, I must leave you two. See you later!” she said, leaving their side. She carefully maneuvered the steps, meeting Terra’s gaze. Her hand waved at him to come over, and he responded with a careful nod of the head. He excused himself from the conversation he was in, and made a beeline right for her. 

Terra met her side, smiling softly. “You were great in there, Aqua. What is it like being a godmother?” he said, setting a hand on his hip.

“It feels great,” she replied, finding his eyes. Aqua reached for his hand, taking it. “Do you want to come home with me for a little? I know we have to be at the banquet hall by five, but we can talk about some things…” 

“What kind of things?” Terra asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aqua took a moment to reply, trying to think of the right thing to say. “Our future.” she said softly. “I mean… if you don’t want to, I understand completely.” 

He shook his head, resting a hand on her shoulder. “No no, if it means spending time with you, then I’d love to.” Terra said, breaking his gaze with her to look at Lea, and then his family. “They won’t mind if we disappear.” 

The woman nodded, leading him down to a car by the curb. Lux stood beside the door, opening it as Aqua approached the side. Terra slid in first, and Aqua followed. Once Lux returned to the front seat, they were away from the Cathedral. 

Her heart sent nervous pangs throughout her body, and her mind could think of nothing but how she was going to address the engagement. She and Terra had only spoken once about it, casually and calmly, but they never got enough information across to know if they actually _were_ ready to get married. Aqua could only think about her brother mentioning that Terra never was good with commitment, but in the months of Aqua seeing him, he seemed fine. 

Aqua started to fidget with the button on her jacket. She glanced over at Terra, who was preoccupied with looking out the window. Her hand slid over and rested on top of his, making him turn and smile at her. She could feel her heartbeat in her fingertips, and she returned his smile. They didn’t say anything, instead basking in the comfortable silence. 

After a while, Lux was pulling back into the Meister estate. He didn’t say a word, which was strange. He opened the car door for Aqua, sidelining Terra before he could reach the door for her. Lux then proceeded to escape into the house and hide until he was needed again. Aqua felt the weight of the world fall back on her, and she held the handle of her purse tightly. Terra stood beside her, leaning against the car. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. 

“Do you want to go on a walk?” Terra asked, breaking the silence. He cleared his throat. “There’s some stuff we should talk about. I can tell from your silence.” 

Aqua turned to face him, nodding. “Yes, I think that would be nice.” she replied, quietly. She looped her arm through his, starting off on their walk. 

They moved slowly, hesitantly. A winter breeze flew around, the chilly 50 degrees made Aqua shiver. Terra blinked, staring at the ground mostly, occasionally taking a peek at Aqua. The silence returned, only to be bothered by the shake of trees and bushes. A few leaves fell off the trees in what seemed like resignation. 

“Terra,” Aqua started. She stopped walking, resting right below a tree who kept shaking with the breeze. “I’ve thought and thought about how I could approach you, because I know you’ll understand, but I just don’t know how you would react.” The azure woman took a deep breath, slowly looking up at her tall brunet. 

“You want to marry me.” he said, unable to hold back a smile. Terra watched as her face bloomed a bright pink, and she turned halfway. “No, don’t look away, Aqua. Your intentions are good, I know they are.” he added, gently pulling on her chin to look at her again. 

“I was hoping to tell you without all of this commotion. I’m sorry.” Aqua said, taking his hand. “I just want our love to last, for however long it can. Seeing you just… reminds me of what it’s like to be safe again.” 

Terra’s expression softened, and softly rested his forehead against Aqua’s. “That’s the cutest thing you’ve ever said.” he whispered, and his lips pulled to a smile. 

Aqua left a small peck on his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Words started to build up in her throat again, and it gave her indigestion. Her stomach knotted, but she managed to remain calm on the surface. 

“Would you be happy with me?” Terra asked, finding her waist with his hands. 

“Of course I would.” she replied, quietly. 

Terra nestled his head into her shoulder, taking a deep breath. Aqua could feel his grasp tighten, like he never wanted to let go, so she moved her hand through his hair. After another second, he kissed her neck, leaving a trail up to her cheek. He stepped back, gazing deep into her eyes. 

They stood there for a few moments, just staring at each other. A gust of wind blew through, pushing against their sides, and shaking the trees with might. Aqua shivered again, letting go of Terra’s waist to rewrap her scarf around her neck. He chuckled, brushing the hair from her eyes. 

“So, I guess I should actually ask the question…” Aqua said, smiling softly. Her hands folded over his, and she glanced back up to meet his eyes. “Terra, will you marry me?” she asked, unsure of why she was feeling very unsettled. 

Terra smiled wide, nodding. He leant down, pulling her back into another kiss. This kiss felt like it actually mattered to Aqua, like the first kiss she ever shared with him. It had impact, power. She felt the wind graze the back of her neck again, even if she just bundled up. Her eyes closed, and she wanted to just fall into the kiss. 

This was just the beginning, and knowing this excited and relieved Aqua. She was eager for her wedding.

\--

Now that she was engaged, she felt like a different person. Now that the entire world knew, she felt invaded, but alright. The public benefit dinner held at their hotel in downtown Los Angeles was packed with the rich actually trying to care. The people raised money for the funding of a children's hospital by means of silent auction, and after the auction at dinner, the press asked questions and pestered for the future of Aqua’s career and life. 

A very simple answer was given by Dilan, whom for the evening acted as a spokesperson for her, and exposed the fact of her engagement and her plans to work with the family. He didn’t answer any other questions, and left the rest of the announcing to Braig. The lawyer and assistant to Xehanort explained the partnership between the families, and gave hints to future locations on the east coast. No other information was revealed. 

For the evening, Aqua sat at a large table with her family and Terra’s family. They all discussed wedding plans, moving plans, and had a wonderful night of merriment. Other guests of the banquet came over to congratulate Aqua and Terra, one being a blonde girl wearing a pure white dress. 

She had stunning blue eyes, extremely fair skin, and a small body shape. Her hands were folded as she approached Aqua and Terra at the table, and to say the least, she seemed suspicious. 

“Miss Aqua, Mister Erde.” she said as she got closer. 

Aqua shifted in her seat, wiping her mouth with her napkin. She nudged Terra when he didn’t notice the girl’s presence and they both turned to face her. Terra seemed surprised. 

“I come here to wish you luck and congratulations on your engagement.” she says, gently tilting her head. “My name is Namine, and I come on the behalf of my employer.” 

“Who is that?” Terra asked, over the music. "Your employer. Who are they?"

Namine closed her eyes as she smiled. “Marluxia Winston and Larxene Jones, sir. They asked me to come here after they heard of a few items in the auction.” she replied. “I don’t have much time to spend, and I only wish you two the best. Good luck and good evening.” Namine added, bowing her head slightly, then walking away. 

Aqua reached for Terra’s hand, squeezing it. Anxiety built up in her chest, and she wondered what those two mob members were doing. Plotting to kill her? Probably. That seemed to be the only thing they did with their time. She tried to repress her fear, focusing on the here and now. Terra shared a look with his fiance, worry written all over it. 

This was the life she decided to live, and not all of it was bad. A few negotiations and good business was all too easy. Aqua left a great impact on her family name, leaving cartels, making friends with people of power and politics, and clearing the once negative and fearful reputation that the Meister’s once had in Southern California. 

It was just the beginning, and Aqua loved beginnings.

END OF ACT 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've made it. Aqua's officially "The Godfather" now, in terms of following the movie. I was thinking about cutting some of the vows she made during the baptism but y'know it felt better shifting between something holy and then something sinful. If that makes sense. I memorized the entire scene from the first godfather where michael earns his title, and its just so beautifully filmed and composed. So i tried to do that here but add in some spice. 
> 
> Part two is slowly but surely on the way!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next adventure! <3


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